Overview
- Construction in Volkstedt began in May 2025 and the Finance Ministry now aims for structural completion of the 30‑place deportation unit by June 2027 with handover and commissioning by the end of 2027.
- Officials say work was halted by a severe frost in late 2025 and early 2026 and further slowed by procurement review procedures and contractor nonperformance.
- Site work has progressed with the shell and outer perimeter finished and technical building systems being installed, and the Interior Ministry will place two custodial officers on site from early October 2026 to prepare the commissioning process.
- Until the facility opens Saxony‑Anhalt is using other states' specialized places, with 47 people housed elsewhere this year at a recorded cost of about €190,000, and the state reported 1,044 planned removals and 333 executed through September 15, 2026, a 32% execution rate.
- The project remains inside the publicly stated €37.4 million cost framework, is managed by the state's Immobilien‑ und Projektmanagement mbH, and the delay is likely to keep budget and inter‑state coordination pressures on migration enforcement and the adjacent JVA expansion through 2027 and into 2028.