Simran Sodhi must stay in Germany!

Aktion Freiheit statt Angst supports the petition for Simran Sodhi to stay in Germany!

The German Immigration Authorities (Ausländerbehörde) have ordered our colleague, Simran Sodhi, must leave Germany by the end of May. Simran is an Indian citizen who works as and Integration-Guide in the Berlin district of Treptow-Köpenick. The Authorities state that Simran is overqualified for the job of an Integration Guide due her MA, and earns too little money. Therefore, they rule that it there is no "public interest" in Simran staying in Germany and continuing her work.

As an Integration Guide Simran assists migrants looking for housing or employment, accompanies them to authorities and advises in cases of discrimination. The 27-year-old came to Germany in 2008 and draws from her personal experience to do her work. She is fluent in Hindi, Urdu, English and German, spent a year in Turkey and has received her degree in European Ethnology at the Humboldt University in Berlin. She has been involved with the film and education project 'with WINGS and ROOTS ' for over two years, leading workshops with young people and adults on topics of migration and racism. Simran has exactly the kinds of skills that are necessary for this position of Integration Guide.

Simran started the position in January, and is currently the only Integration guide in Berlin’s largest district, Treptow-Köpenick. She is doing groundbreaking work, of special significance for migrants living there. This is particularly true as Treptow-Köpenick has "a clearly visible and active right-wing scene in comparison to other regions" according to a study by the Center for Democracy, and is home to the Federal headquarters of the extreme-right NPD party (1).

We consider the actions of the authorities extremely contradictory. On the one hand, "integration" is proclaimed as valuable for Germany repeatedly, while on the other hand, the Berlin Senate offers only limited financial resources for this work. Therefore, Simran's employer cannot pay her more. The order that Simran must leave Germany because of this contradiction is absurd.

We believe that there is a strong public interest in Simran's work is as an Integration Guide and that her departure be a loss to Berlin's civil society. We call for the extension of Simran's residence permit.

Support Simran Sodhi by signing the petition!

The Berlin team 'with WINGS and ROOTS '

www.withwingsandroots.com

Supporters:

The Initiative of Black People in Germany e.V. (Die Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland e.V.)

Korientation e.V.

Migrationsrat e.V.

Berlin Postkolonial e.V.

Petition unterzeichnen: https://www.change.org/de/Petitionen/hr-frank-henkel-integrationslotsin-simran-sodhi-soll-nicht-ausgewiesen-werden

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• Abschiebung
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• Verfolgung

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