First asylum holding centres open in Germany

Munich (dpa),Aug 1, 2018- Germany’s southern state of Bavaria launched the country’s first controversial processing centres for migrants on Wednesday, following a feud over asylum policy that nearly brought down the government.   

The facilities are part of Interior Minister Horst Seehofer’s plan to reduce the number of asylum seekers in Germany by speeding up the asylum process and fast-tracking the deportations of unsuccessful applicants.   

Other states in Germany have delayed the establishment of the so-called “anchor centres” or refused to take part in the policy. But Bavaria, the home state of Seehofer’s right-wing conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), went ahead with the plan despite criticism.   

Existing migrant arrival centres in Bavaria have been adapted to serve as anchor centres, housing representatives from a variety of government agencies involved in asylum application decisions.   

Each of the seven centres is designed to accommodate around 1,000 to 1,500 people.