Ukrainian inflow resulted in Afghan refugees to move out government housing in Germany

Germany has relocated hundreds of Afghans from temporary government accommodation to make room for Ukrainian refugees.

Approximately 630,000 Afghans have applied for asylum in the EU over the last decade, with Germany taking some of the biggest refugee numbers in Europe.

According to the German authorities, the evictions in Berlin are taking place because Afghan families were exploiting short-term reception centers.

However, Tareq Alaows, a board member of the Berlin Refugee Council, stated that some of the Afghans were evicted from housing they had occupied for years.

“The evictions purposefully weren’t publicized,” he added. “Some people had lived in their homes for years and were ripped out of their social structures, including children who were moved to locations far from their respective schools.”

Alaows told Foreign Policy magazine: “Few people’s living conditions improved, but most were afraid to speak up, afraid it could impact their immigration status.”

He said the blame does not lie with Ukrainian refugees, but there is a difference in their treatment and how authorities handled the Afghan refugee influx.

“The last months showed that different treatment of refugees is possible, and this needs to be systematically anchored in our society,” he added.

The evictions were justified by Berlin’s Senate Department for Integration, Labor, and Social Services as “operationally required and tough factors,” with “no alternative” due to Ukrainian arrivals in need of immediate housing.

“We regret that this brought extra burdens to the Afghan families and that the affected persons had to move out of their familiar surroundings, and now perhaps have to keep up with their social connections with significant difficulty,” said Stefan Strauss, the department’s press secretary.

He went on to say that while the German capital houses over 22,000 refugees in 83 shelters, Ukrainian arrivals must be accommodated together for processing considerations. He said that the evicted Afghans were given comparable housing elsewhere.

Since the beginning of the war on February 24, Germany has officially received 160,000 Ukrainian refugees.

However, due to visa-free access between the two countries and a lack of checks on the German-Polish border, the true amount is estimated to be significantly higher.

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