Germany's center-right alliance has asked Berlin to slow down irregular migrant entries and to speed up asylum decision and deportation processes. One politician criticized the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for making such a demand just after more than 60 migrants lost their lives at sea off the coast of Italy.
The CDU/CSU, Germany's center-right alliance, has asked the federal government to limit irregular migration and to increase the number of so-called "safe" countries amid rising refugee numbers in the country.
The proposal, however, was rejected in the federal parliament on Thursday (March 2) with the votes of the SPD, Greens, FDP and Left Party.
CDU politician and parliament member Thorsten Frei criticized the ruling government coalition for creating a bridge for people whose identity has not been clarified to stay long-term in Germany. Frei said the country's refugee policy sends the wrong signal: "Whoever has made it to Germany once can also stay here."
SPD party member Helge Lindh slammed the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for broaching the subject just after more than 60 migrants lost their lives at sea last Sunday when their boat smashed into rocks off the coast of Italy.
Calls to speed up asylum decision and deportations
Bernd Baumann, parliamentary secretary of the far-right AfD nationalist party, called the government's migration policy under former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel a "disaster" and "catastrophe."
The proposal to classify Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Georgia as safe countries of origin – intended to speed up asylum decisions and deportations – failed during Merkel's term in office due to opposition in the Bundesrat. "Safe countries of origin" are countries where it is suspected that, as a rule, there won't be political persecution or inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment.
In 2022, federal police recorded almost 92,000 irregular migrant entries into Germany, a jump from the previous three years.
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf), 217,774 people applied for asylum for the first time in 2022, marking an almost 47% increase from the previous year and the highest figure since 2016.
In January 2023, Germany recorded around 29,000 first-time asylum applications. Most of the asylum seekers came from Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
Ukrainian refugees receive special protection under an EU directive. They are not required to apply for asylum and are also allowed to work immediately. Differences in treatment towards Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian refugees has outraged many in Germany and abroad.
With DPA