Migration policy behind closed doors: Government meets

The Union has made clear demands on the migration meeting of the traffic light coalition, the Union and the federal states – while the federal government warns against having too high expectations. “I would rather argue for waiting and not formulating great expectations in advance,” said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann in Berlin.

What the Union brings

CDU leader Friedrich Merz is not among the participants, but the day before he reiterated calls for a significant reduction in migration to Germany. The real problem is not gun laws and deportations, said the Union faction leader. “The real problem is the still uncontrolled immigration pressure.” He insisted on rejections at the German borders. “If there is no agreement tomorrow, then we do not need to hold further talks,” said Merz on Monday evening in Osnabrück.

The chairman of the Conference of Minister Presidents, Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein, called for a “change of era in migration policy” last week. On Monday, he listed the Union’s demands again: “The federal government must continue controls at the internal borders and finally start to consistently reject people at the borders. We also need consistent implementation of the Dublin rules at European level, more safe countries of origin, asylum procedures in third countries. Of course, people must also be deported to Afghanistan and Syria. Criminals and dangerous people should have their citizenship revoked, and deportation and detention options must be expanded.”

BSW boss Sahra Wagenknecht is also calling for a hard line on migration issues. “Instead of pseudo-solutions, we need a political end to uncontrolled migration,” she told the “Welt”. “Those who are already in the country but have been rejected also lose their right to maintenance.” Even those entering from a safe third country are not entitled to asylum or to taxpayers’ benefits.

What the traffic light puts on the table

From the Federal Government’s point of view, the basis for the discussions is the “security package” passed last week – a reaction to the knife attack in Solingen that left three people dead. It provides for measures in three areas: a tougher approach to the return of rejected asylum seekers to their countries of origin, steps to combat Islamist terror more decisively and tightening of gun laws.

For example, it is planned that asylum seekers for whom another European country is responsible will no longer receive benefits in Germany – if that country is prepared to take them back (Dublin cases). There are also plans to ban switchblades and make it easier to exclude migrants who have committed a crime from protection in Germany.

A working group of the federal and state governments will also look for ways to improve the Dublin procedure – the regulations for deporting asylum seekers to other European states that are responsible for them. This was the case with the suspected Solingen attacker, who should actually have been deported to Bulgaria.

What the Migration Commissioner warns about

The Federal Government’s Commissioner for Migration, Reem Alabali-Radovan, warned against a “one-sided focus on tightening migration policy.” The “security package” should strengthen protection against terror, violence and crime, the SPD politician told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND). “It is important that this is done without general suspicion and blanket statements.”

Migration and internal security are largely the responsibility of the states. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) decides on asylum applications. The immigration offices, on the other hand, are state authorities. Deportations are also ultimately a matter for the states, even if they get support from the federal police in carrying them out.

The government has also outlined better cooperation between the federal and state governments as an area of ​​work in its security package. A working group of the federal and state governments is to look for ways to improve the Dublin procedure – that is, the regulations for deporting asylum seekers to other European states that are responsible for them. This was the case with the suspected Solingen attacker, who should actually have been deported to Bulgaria.

Green Party leader Omid Nouripour also dampens expectations

Before the federal government’s negotiations with the federal states and the Union on migration policy, Omid Nouripour warned against excessive expectations. “Every idea is welcome, it just has to make sense, it has to be feasible, it has to be legal,” said Nouripour on Tuesday in the ZDF “Morgenmagazin”. He is currently asking himself whether the CDU leadership around party leader Friedrich Merz and general secretary Carsten Linnemann sees no other task for themselves than to keep coming up with new proposals.

The Green Party leader admitted, however, that the external impact of the traffic light coalition was still poor. The coalition was unable to achieve “stability in the mood”. This could not be changed overnight. The coalition was providing material solutions, “but not in terms of appearance”. He did not know whether it would still be possible to resolve the dispute.

Confidential round planned

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock are among those attending the meeting at the Federal Ministry of the Interior on behalf of the federal government. Representatives of the traffic light factions are also expected to attend. For the Union faction, faction manager Thorsten Frei is expected to attend. For the states, Hesse will represent the Union side and Lower Saxony will represent the SPD side. The government does not want to communicate after the meeting. A confidential meeting is planned.