Migration Crisis: Lack of Housing Capacity for Asylum Seekers
In response to the shortage of housing capacity for asylum seekers, Minister of Migration, Jean Asselborn's recent decision has sparked a week-long controversy. According to the new directive from the Foreign Affairs Minister, single male asylum seekers who have previously applied for asylum in another European country under Dublin Regulations will no longer be immediately accepted at the first reception center in Luxembourg. They are currently on a waiting list, exacerbating their uncertain situation on the streets of Luxembourg. Most of them, after enduring a perilous journey over the course of several years, are now left disheartened by this list.
As the cold winter approaches, a flimsy piece of fabric over their heads is the only protection against the elements for some. Between August and September, nearly 170 individuals arrived in Luxembourg, unable to secure even the most basic of human rights – a bed in an asylum camp. Consequently, they find themselves forced to live on the streets.
In a press statement addressing the crisis, Jean Asselborn, the Socialist Minister, stated: "Like other European countries, we needed to take action, and this change in the reception and accommodation process prioritizes women, children, families, vulnerable individuals, and broader priorities."
Editor's Note: Mr. Jean Asselborn's hasty decisions and his diplomatic stance amidst the geopolitical games played in politics with war-torn countries and supporters of terrorism, alongside overlooking the basic rights of asylum seekers, namely a bed in an asylum complex, will leave a less-than-pleasant memory of his name in the minds of the people in his final days in office. Dear Jean, my conscience does not allow me to offer you comfort or support you on social media pages like your party members, but I can candidly, as a true friend without pretense, tell you this: instead of claiming the right to a bed for an asylum seeker who has risked their life and endured the perils of smuggling routes, arriving here with a thousand hopes of attaining human rights that you have spoken of in your interviews countless times, I suggest you examine the financial status and possessions of those asylum seekers who have received their residency but still occupy the space in asylum camps and live there, owning high-end cars and even employment contracts. I remember two decades ago, on the last night I was in Turkey and the day before I was supposed to enter Europe through smuggling routes, a friend of mine jokingly and somewhat drunkenly told me to be careful, for from tomorrow onwards, I would step into a land where as a single male refugee, I would be the lowest of the low, because in Europe, the hierarchy of citizenship is as follows: first, the wealthy and politicians; second, women; third, children; fourth, dogs and cats; fifth, families; and last on this list, the "single male refugee" – a three-worded criminal who, for being both male, single, and a refugee, must agree to any conditions, however degrading. At that time, I was his biggest critic, but today, seeing these homeless tent-dwellers, I can only feel sorry for my own naive belief and for you, dear Jean. It is still hard for me to believe that these tents belong to a Palestinian refugee camp, rather, they are the tents of the wealthiest country in Europe.
