Germany: stricter migration regulations adopted

SOURCE: DW / AUTHOR: M.J GDNUS
The security package was adopted by the votes of the representatives of the parties of the ruling coalition consisting of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The package consists of two parts: one relates to laws on migration and the carrying of weapons, and the other to the expansion of the powers of the police and security services in order to more effectively combat terrorist threats.

Both parts won a majority in the Bundestag this Friday (October 18). But the part of the security package that refers to the powers of the police and security services was not approved by the Bundesrat, the representative body of the federal states whose consent is necessary for the adoption of certain laws. A committee will now most likely be formed to mediate between the federal government and the Bundesrat to reach a compromise.

Stricter regulations on migrants

Asylum seekers, who in accordance with the Dublin Agreement should have submitted their application in another member of the European Union, will no longer be entitled to social benefits - if their deportation is legally and factually possible. Exceptions will also apply in cases where children are affected.

Refugees who temporarily travel from Germany to their homeland, as well as those who have committed crimes with an anti-Semitic or homophobic background, also lose the right to protection. Deportations of persons whose asylum applications have been rejected should also be facilitated.

More power to the police

The Law on Weapons will also be tightened. The ban on carrying weapons at mass events will also apply to knives, which will now be explicitly mentioned in the law. But there are also exceptions, for example for certain professions. "We ban knives at public events and enable the provinces to introduce an additional ban on knives. And this can be controlled even without a reason," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) explaining the legislative changes in the Bundestag.

The second part of the adopted package enables the police and security services to compare biometric data on the Internet in certain cases. Searching for faces and voices through automated applications will only be allowed if approved by the court at the request of the president of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) or his deputy. In urgent cases, the head of BKA or one of his three deputies can issue an order that is valid for a maximum of three days.

Criticism of the opposition and humanitarian organizations

The parties of the Union (CDU/CSU) in the debate in the Bundestag criticized that the measures do not go far enough. "This so-called security package is largely ineffective," said interior policy spokesman Alexander Throm (CDU). The AfD, on the other hand, criticized the migration policy, while Clara Bünger (Left) described the package as "an ineffective solution to the fight against extremism and Islamism".

FDP Vice President Konstantin Kuhle admitted that the package does not go far enough, but called it a step in the right direction. The vice-president of the Greens caucus, Konstantin von Notz, defended the changes to the law as reasonable and appropriate. The Union's demands for a blanket rejection of migrants at the German borders, he warned, endanger Europe.

The refugee organization Pro Asyl strongly criticized the legal changes. "This law leads to intentionally induced homelessness and poverty of asylum seekers," Pro Asyl believes.

Occasion

A possibly Islamist-motivated knife attack at a town celebration in Solingen on August 23 has sparked heated debate in Germany. In the attack, three people were killed and eight were injured. The suspected Syrian was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria in 2023, but it did not happen for various reasons.

After that attack, the ruling coalition agreed to tighten laws on migration and gun ownership, as well as to give greater powers to investigators.