Here you can read our speech on Friday the 5th in front of the Bundesrat.
A few weeks ago, we demonstrated here because the Federal Council adopted the law which declared Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia “safe countries of origin”. We were disgusted that the state government of Baden-Württemberg, ruled by the party Die Grünen, approved the law. This consent was exchanged against a few concessions concerning the Residenzpflicht and an access to the labour market for asylum seekers.
We all, refugees and human rights activists, have rejected this bargaining about our human rights as inhuman.
And we are angry that again the adoption of the new Aslybewerberleistungsgesetz was dealt out.

Meanwhile, the laws meant to allow us to work earlier, came into force: we can now theoretically work after three months, but only if no one else who already has a work permit, is available for the job. That is not a general work permit, but often enough, especially in regions where are many other unemployed, a work ban.
We do not want you to bore you with details, but one thing is interesting: even the employers are not satisfied with these relaxations. They demand that asylum seekers should have equal rights in the labour market after six months, those with Duldung immediately. And rejected asylum seekers should be able to switch from deportation in a legal immigration proceedings, if there is a job offer.
Have we suddenly allies in the economy? No, the statement of the employer associations just makes clear what is at stake in the new rules, even in the now adopted so called Bleiberechtsregelung:
Asylum seekers are sorted by the criteria of usefulness: doors wide open for young and highly qualified, closed borders for all others.

Even the asylum applications are influenced by the economic interests of Germany: For Syrian refugees there is now a fast track procedure their asylum application are assumed to be “obviously founded”. This is a good regulation, but why is it not applying to war refugees from Chad, Sudan or the Congo? It’s simple: A high proportion of Syrian refugees have an academic education. In contrast asylum applications of Roma refugees from the Balkans are now rejected collectively as “obviously unfounded”. They are marginalized in their countries of origin from the education system, and therefore do not bring attractive qualifications to the German economy.
Asylum seeking women have very little chances in this unfair selection system: in many countries around the world they have little access to education. They often only can make themselves useful as a mother of German children.

Whether it’s work bans or integration, refugee protection or deportation, detention or the right to stay. The whole German asylum system splits refugees and migrants:
Where once all refugees and migrants were deprived of their rights, we see now a residence and asylum law, by hierarchical categories: “Useful” migrants, who can be integrated, “real refugees” who need at least temporarily protection and supposed cheaters, all are sorted into different drawers. At the same time many regulations and special laws are aimed to isolate asylum seekers from other parts of civil society.

We oppose that with transnational solidarity.
We refugees will not be split into right and wrong asylum seekers in wanted and unwanted asylum seekers. We all have a right to protection and to a decent life.
We activists with or without refugee background will stand together and fight these racist laws.