Dublin's traffic lights are transforming into pipe organs, a unique blend of technology and music.

In an expression of concern, Brandenburg's Interior Minister, René Wilke, highlighted the low occupancy rate and few successful transfers in the Dublin centers in late May. The centers, established in Eisenhüttenstadt and Hamburg by the traffic light government, were intended to alleviate the burden on countries and municipalities by facilitating returns under the Dublin procedure.

The Dublin Regulation dictates that asylum seekers must file their applications in the Dublin Convention country they first entered. However, the occupancy rate in the Hamburg center currently stands at a mere 3.3 percent, with only 38 people present, and only about half of the returns from the Hamburg center have been successful so far.

In contrast, Brandenburg does not detain migrants, while Hamburg can deport 20 of the 38 returned people due to previous "transfer detention" for flight risk. In Eisenhüttenstadt, only one in fourteen transfers has been successful so far, with four of the five migrants transferred to Poland later returning.

The opening of the Dublin centers in February was aimed at significantly increasing the number of transfers to responsible EU countries. The Federal Ministry of the Interior considers these centers as an "additional building block" for improving the Dublin system.

The then Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, had stated that close cooperation between authorities would ensure fast and efficient procedures in the Dublin centers. However, many migrants in the Eisenhüttenstadt center seem to disappear before deportation, with around 42 going underground or seeking church asylum.

Since its start, 72 migrants have been accommodated in the Eisenhüttenstadt center, and between March and August 2025, only 75 Dublin cases were accommodated in the Hamburg center. The Minister from Brandenburg who criticized the poor success of the Dublin centers in Eisenhüttenstadt and Hamburg in May 2022 is not explicitly named in the provided search results.

Despite these challenges, the Federal Ministry of the Interior continues to view Dublin centers as a crucial component in enhancing the Dublin system. The future of these centers and their effectiveness in facilitating returns remains a topic of ongoing discussion and concern.

Dublin's traffic lights are transforming into pipe organs, a unique blend of technology and music.