Hidden in a Berlin rectory: How church protection causes unrest for three Somalis

They were initially not allowed to enter Germany, but suddenly appeared in Berlin: The case of three refugees raises many questions and disrupts the German government's migration policy.

Two refugees on the grounds of the Protestant Stephansstift congregation in Hanover. Church asylum is increasingly coming under political criticism. Nancy Heusel/epd

They often live in small guest rooms and aren't allowed to leave the church building, go to the supermarket, or even enter the garden. The police may be waiting outside. Inside: church sanctuary.

Now, just such a case is causing quite a stir. Three Somalis are currently being housed in Berlin under the protection of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). This is making national headlines. The focus is on the question of whether the refugees, who tried three times in vain to enter Germany in Frankfurt (Oder) in May, are even allowed to be in Berlin.

According to the EKD, as well as refugee organizations like Pro Asyl, the answer is a resounding yes. And the church is thus increasingly taking a critical stance toward the federal government's new, tougher migration policy.

This isn't the only explosive aspect of this case: When the Somalis were turned away three times at the German-Polish border in April and May, they received legal advice from Pro Asyl . Shortly thereafter, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled that the rejection of the two men and one woman at the German-Polish border was unlawful. Everyone actually believed the three Somalis were still in Poland afterward, but then they turned up in Berlin. The German Police Union filed a complaint against an unknown person, suspecting, among other things, criminal smuggling practices.

Church Protection: “We take in those whose need is greatest”

Church asylum appears to many as a silent act of mercy. In reality, however, it is a precisely timed procedure that operates on the fringes of German asylum law – without violating it. In Berlin, as well as nationwide, church congregations regularly offer protection to refugees who, in the opinion of congregants, are at risk of unlawful or unreasonable deportation.

Felix Wolf, managing director of "Asylum in the Church Berlin-Brandenburg," told the Berliner Zeitung that there is currently no regulated church asylum procedure for the three refugees from Somalia. The association advises parishes that accept people under church asylum and legally reviews the cases to determine whether they qualify for this procedure. "We receive significantly more requests than we can accommodate under church asylum. We accept those whose need is greatest," Wolf says.

Once in church asylum, the refugee remains in the care of the community

Since 2015, the Church has systematized its handling of church asylum and its interaction with the state. Since then, dossiers have been compiled for individuals, often families, who are considered hardship cases. The authorities are clearly communicated why the Church considers them hardship cases, and the state is called upon to assume responsibility for them, even if other states would be responsible under the Dublin procedure . "These are cases in which people cannot be expected to return," says Wolf. The issues are the threat of violence, imprisonment, lack of medical care, and homelessness. Currently, problematic countries include Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, and Lithuania.

Food, medical care, pastoral care, legal advice

The basic idea of ​​church asylum: A church congregation accepts a person whom it considers to be particularly humanitarian. The right of residence remains unaffected. Once granted church asylum, the refugee remains in the care of the congregation until the German state takes over the case and regular proceedings are initiated in Germany.

The municipality provides accommodation and food, often through donations or private support. Migrants generally no longer receive any benefits from the state once they leave official jurisdiction.

This means that food, medical care, pastoral care, and legal advice must be organized by the congregation itself. Legally, there is no such thing as a special shelter. The police could enter the building at any time and take the person away. But in practice, this rarely happens. Authorities respect church asylum—out of tradition, political considerations, and because, ultimately, it's about individual cases, not mass accommodation.

The number of people seeking church asylum in Germany rose significantly last year, according to a recent media report. According to the Bild newspaper, citing figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) , a total of 2,386 people received church asylum in 2024—around 300 more than the previous year. The vast majority of these cases were so-called Dublin cases: asylum seekers who were initially registered in another EU country before traveling on to Germany.

In 2024, there were 183 church asylums in the Berlin-Brandenburg region

As of May 1, 2025, according to the Asylum in the Church association, there were 39 church asylums in Berlin and Brandenburg, housing a total of 59 people (including 15 children). Thirty-five of these church asylums were Dublin cases. In 2024, there were 183 church asylums in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, housing a total of 243 people, including 40 children.

Wolf attributes the increase in church asylum applications to the political debate surrounding deportation. Church congregations are increasingly seeing injustice and are more willing to accept people than before.

According to information from the Bild newspaper, the three Somalis have been living in a Berlin rectory since Pentecost – contrary to the usual rule, which, according to the Asylum Act, stipulates accommodation in a state reception center for up to 18 months. Accommodation at the church could indicate that the Somalis intend to seek church asylum in the event of threatened deportation.

According to LAF, the three Somalis are registered at the arrival center

A spokeswoman for the Berlin State Office for Refugees explained: "The assignment to Berlin was for medical and humanitarian reasons." The three Somalis are registered at the arrival center and "naturally attend all official appointments." Bishop Christian Stäblein , refugee commissioner of the EKD, met with the three Somali migrants who were arrested by the federal police at the Polish border in May. were turned away. He told the Protestant press service: "When I hear their life stories and sense their vulnerability, it hurts me that people seeking protection are turned away at our borders."

It's unclear whether the two men and one woman will now receive church asylum. But the fact is that it increases the pressure on the government and the authorities.

Criticism of church asylum: Applicable law is disregarded

Critics now accuse the churches of flouting existing law. They speak of parallel justice and undue influence. Officially, church asylum is not encouraged – but it is not prosecuted either. In recent years, there have been isolated cases against pastors for "aiding and abetting illegal residence," but most have been dropped. The outcome of the case in Berlin is currently unclear.

Wolf of the Church Asylum Association refutes accusations that the church is politically abusing the instrument of church asylum: "We always look at the individual case and help enforce the law by allowing more time and a fresh perspective for hardship cases. We're not hiding anyone." The state can intervene at any time and also knows where people are. "The state is engaging in dialogue," he says. The managing director also doesn't see a new, harsher tone against church asylum from the CDU/CSU-led federal government.