Pressure on the Chancellor: Merz calls on Scholz to talk about migration

In the migration debate, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is trying to increase the pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) by setting a specific deadline. He called on Scholz to look for a solution to migration policy together after the state elections in Bavaria and Hesse next weekend at the latest.

Merz suggested at a state party conference of the Saxony-Anhalt CDU in Magdeburg that they should come together the next morning.

The CDU then quoted him on the platform together to quickly solve the problem of illegal migration to Germany.”

When asked, a government spokesman said he could not currently report anything about a specific date. He referred to an interview on ARD radio in which the Chancellor said: “Mr. Merz can always have an appointment with me.”

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser reacted skeptically to the CDU chairman’s request. “I find that a bit revealing,” said Faeser, who is also the SPD’s top candidate for the Hesse state election. The topic is about human suffering and about organizing cohesion in Germany. “The topic is certainly not suitable for an election campaign,” said Faeser. “I hope that Mr. Merz takes this to heart.”

With the growing number of arriving refugees, the political debate about irregular migration in Germany has intensified again. State and local authorities complain about full reception facilities and too little support. The Thuringian state initial reception center in Suhl is no longer accepting refugees for the time being. A spokesman for the Migration Ministry said on Saturday that arriving people would either be distributed to the smaller branch offices in Eisenberg and Hermsdorf or, if possible, to other federal states. The background is the high level of stress in Suhl over the last few days.

Lindner warns of loss of control

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) warned of a loss of control. “We cannot accept that control over access to our society is lost. We must decide confidently: Who do we invite into our labor market? Who do we show solidarity with for humanitarian reasons, and who does not have such reasons?” , he wrote on the X platform with reference to an interview he gave to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”.

The FDP had previously called for benefits in kind instead of cash for asylum seekers. “With a nationwide valid payment card, asylum seekers could cover their daily needs in retail, but not make any transfers back to their countries of origin,” said Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) to “Bild”. Direct cash payments, on the other hand, are “an incentive to enter the social systems,” said Wissing. “That’s why we as the FDP want to switch from cash benefits to benefits in kind.”

Scholz emphasized that he had nothing against giving asylum seekers vouchers instead of cash. “We have created the legal opportunity to do this,” the SPD politician told SWR. The federal states could try this out, but have not yet done so. “It seems that most people think it’s too bureaucratic.”

The Union called for a further change to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act on this issue. “I am in favor of changing the legal situation so that benefits in kind have priority over the payment of money throughout the entire asylum procedure,” said the domestic policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group Alexander Throm (CDU) to the partner newspapers of the Neue Berliner Editorial Society. However, the nationwide introduction of payment cards in the states and municipalities is “not a panacea”. The traffic light government must generally minimize false incentives for irregular migration.