Heidelberg – ESI at Baden-Württemberg's first reception centre for refugees

Heidelberg bridge – entry point to the German asylum procedure for migrants in Baden-Württemberg. Photo: ESI.

ESI's Friedrich Püttmann visited first reception centre of Baden-Württemberg at the Patrick-Henry-Village near Heidelberg, the central administration where all asylum seekers in Baden-Württemberg are registered upon their arrival and undergo all the first steps of the asylum procedure. He was guided through the centre by its director Markus Rothfuß from the regional government of Baden-Württemberg, who had set up the centre in 2015.

Rothfuß gave interesting insights into what would be needed for a coalition of European states to establish an effective and decent arrival centre in the Mediterranean as advocated by ESI.