Dear Mr. Dr. Matthias Roeßler,
Dear Mrs. Andrea Dombois,
Dear Mr. André Wandt,
Dear Mrs. Luise Neuhaus-Wartenberg,
Dear members of the saxon state parliament,

We demand that you put into use state admission programs and that you initiate a comprehensive reform of the admission practices in Saxony.

This year, too, crises keep piling up. And exactly for this reason, we cannot lose sight of the migration policy, because climate change and wars (over resources) constitute further causes of flight. Whenever many people are unsettled and have to fear for their existence, cohesion is more important than ever.

Every year, new people arrive in Saxony and try to feel at home here – but they are denied: Saxony is proven to be the federal state with the most restrictive migration policy in Germany after Bavaria. But cohesion does not work by giving in to the loudest positions, but by protecting the people who are not heard and who are marginalized!

Community is created where people feel they belong and are heard.

We are convinced: Together we are stronger!

Who are we? We are a broad alliance of associations, welfare organizations, activist groups, political youth associations and individuals. We are connected by the desire for a more inclusive migration policy in Saxony.

Experiences from other federal states show that the establishment of state admission programs contributes to strengthening the community. The reality of a diverse society is an integral part of a Saxony that is open to the world. People who flee from violence, the climate crisis and war also belong to this society. Unfortunately, they find safety here far too rarely.

To change this, we must create safe escape routes.

People are still dying on the run every day. A direct admission e.g. from camps, from ships or out of war and conflict zones, prevents this. Because that way people do not have to make the dangerous journey to Libya, from Libya across the Mediterranean or via the Balkan route. Instead of restricted militarized zones in the middle of Europe, people need direct and fast humanitarian admission options. Instead of people already experiencing rejection while they are still fleeing, we want to invite them.

Decentralized accommodation is an important element for the safety and well-being of people. This makes it much easier to establish social contacts and organic connections in the new place of residence. Refugees can learn the German language more quickly and can settle into the community. Accommodation in mass shelters has exactly the opposite effect: living together deprived of privacy with sometimes several hundred strangers constitutes an enormous psychological burden. There is often a lack of adequate medical care and independent consultation. With state admission programs, faster procedures are possible, so that people can sooner be housed in decentralized accomodations.

Another central point of criticism is family reunification. Having familiar people around is a core psychological need and enables people to engage in new activities. Family reunification, which is embedded in the law, is a very complicated procedure and, depending on the residence status or degree of kinship (e.g. siblings), even completely precluded. In other federal states like Schleswig-Holstein or Thuringia, family reunification is made possible through state admission programs. Thanks to the regulations put in place in these states, the resulting costs to the taxpayer are minimal, since it is limited almost exclusively to the coverage of health insurance contributions. That is why we demand the simplification, or more specifically the enabling of family reunifications.

The solution is obvious: we need state admission programs. They are within the legal framework and generally expand the scope of action. How should this work in detail? We have ideas. Attached and on our website you can find our ten demands as well as further explanations.

Let’s not always just react to crises, but look proactively and pragmatically at how we can all live well. Because together we are stronger, more resilient and it is simply nicer!

Sincerely yours,

Verein Zeugen der Flucht Dresden e.V.