Migration: Union: Focus on rejections at borders

The Union sees the most important issue in the planned talks on migration as better protection of the external borders. “We will never solve the ongoing migration crisis with deportations. We must finally start at the beginning of the process and that means: rejections at the external border. We will push for this in the asylum talks,” said the parliamentary manager of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU), to “Bild”. At the same time, he doubted in the “Rheinische Post” the effect of the cuts in benefits for so-called Dublin refugees planned by the red-green-yellow federal government.

After the suspected Islamist knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced talks with the states and the Union, the largest opposition force, about the possible consequences. The first meeting is scheduled to take place next week. The federal government also presented a package of measures that includes cuts in benefits for refugees for whom another EU country is responsible. On Friday, Germany deported Afghans to their country of origin for the first time since the Taliban seized power three years ago. The deportation flight took off a few days after the attack, but had a much longer lead time, according to official sources.

Rhein: Package of measures is “tinkering with the symptoms”

The chairman of the Conference of Minister Presidents, Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), told the Bavarian Media Group about the package presented by the traffic light government: “There is nothing wrong with this, but it is nothing more than tinkering with the symptoms.” The traffic light coalition continues to avoid taking active action and the crucial question: “How do we ensure in concrete terms that fewer people come into the country?”

Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) criticized the editorial network Germany (RND) for extending the scope for expulsion and the stricter exclusion of criminals from protection status as the only really substantial proposals in the migration package. “Unfortunately, the rest remains very vague or achieves almost nothing, as in the case of the proposal to no longer grant benefits to Dublin cases once the member state in which the asylum seeker entered the EU has given its consent.”

Frei: Cuts have little effect on Dublin refugees

With regard to the planned cuts for asylum seekers who have already been registered in another EU country, Frei told the “Rheinische Post”: “These cuts affect far fewer cases than one sometimes reads.” Only cases “in which the transfer request has been approved and social security exists in the destination country are affected. This significantly reduces the scope of application.”

Frei means that the other EU countries concerned must agree to a return transfer from Germany so that the refugees can no longer receive any benefits in Germany in the meantime beyond what is absolutely necessary. However, this consent is by no means always given. “And what will happen in the future is obvious: our neighboring countries will refuse consent even more often than they already do, or even register even fewer cases,” predicted Frei.

The suspected perpetrator of the Solingen attack reportedly came to Germany as a refugee via Bulgaria. Bulgaria agreed to his repatriation, but it apparently did not take place for other reasons.

Greens: Union is pulling the wool over people’s eyes

Meanwhile, Green Party deputy Konstantin von Notz accused the Union of making some proposals that are not actually feasible. “Anyone who suggests to people, for example, that we can currently deport people to Syria or Afghanistan on a large scale or simply suspend existing international law is pulling the wool over their eyes and arguing in a highly dishonest manner,” he told the “Rheinische Post”.

On Friday, Germany deported Afghans to their country of origin for the first time since the Taliban seized power three years ago. According to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, 28 of the offenders were deported. All of those affected are men, the German Press Agency learned. According to the countries involved, sex offenders and violent criminals are among those deported.

Chancellor Scholz described the deportation flight as a sign to all criminals. “It is a clear sign: Anyone who commits crimes cannot count on us not deporting them. Instead, we will try to do so, as we can see in this case,” he said at an election campaign event near Leipzig.