Society for Threatened Peoples calls for an end to deportations of refugee families with children that were born or raised in Germany

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls for end to deportations of refugee families with children that were born or raised in Germany. "Our politicians and authorities are responsible for thousands of refugee children who were torn out of their familiar surroundings at school and away from their friends here in Germany in recent years, to be deported to an uncertain future in their parents' home countries," criticized the STP's Secretary General, Tilman Zülch, in Göttingen on Thursday, on occasion of the World Refugee Day (June 20th). He warned: "All these fates are tragedies that could have been avoided! Anyone who was born or raised in Germany must also have the right to a safe home here."

According to Zülch, it is plain "political madness" that there are authorities with no other function than to harass and to control refugee families, to keep immigrants from taking up work by issuing year-long working bans, to expel them from the country based on minor offence charges and to drive thousands of refugee children out of the country together with their parents. These children, who often don't even speak the language of their parents properly any more, are facing an unsure future in poverty and homelessness.

Many of Germany's long-time resident refugees belong to minority groups such as the Roma and Ashkali from Kosovo, the Kurds, the Baha'is, Yezidis, Christian Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syrians and Armenians, Alevis or Mandaeans who fled from countries of the Middle East, civil war refugees from Syria or Chechens who were forced to leave their home country.

In Germany, many teachers, social workers, churchmen, Christian communities, refugee councils, human rights organizations and many other citizens have been fighting for their integration, showing commitment and invested a lot – materially and ideationally. "However, many German ministers, senators and representatives seem eager to ruin all these efforts," criticized Zülch. "This refugee policy is irresponsible, absurd and inhuman."

Tilman Zülch - Secretary General - is available for further questions: Tel. 0551 49 906 24 or politik@gfbv.de