For 25 years refugees have been fighting against “Residenzpflicht” (residence obligation). Now it has been changed again, and again politicians claim that it is abolished and many people believe them.
With our protest we triggered a, for a long time overdue, debate about “Residenzpflicht” on a national level. We showed clearly that this law is incompatible with a life in dignity. But a bit of loosening and compromises… That’s not what we have been demonstrating and struggling for for years. We have been fighting for the abolition of “Residenzpflicht”.
The facts:
For asylum seekers in the reception center the obligatory residence stays limited to the district of the alien’s department (Ausländerbehörde) for three months. In Brandenburg for example this is the urban district Eisenhüttenstadt. They are only allowed to leave the district if the department sees “compulsory reasons” (“zwingende Gründe”). Personal needs, like seeing relatives again after a long time, are not considered.