A proposal by the Ministry of Justice of Germany's southern federal state of Baden-Württemberg suggests new restrictions and regulations to be introduced when it comes to taking in asylum seekers.
According to local newspaper reports from the Stuttgarter Zeitung and Stuttgarter Nachrichten, the proposed measures include expanding the confiscation of jewelry, cash and valuables from asylum seekers arriving without identification documents.
State Secretary of Justice Siegfried Lorek of the Christian Democrats said that it was important to "clearly communicate that we will confiscate money and valuables within the legal framework" as a deterrent for people with fraudulent or weak cases. Asylum seekers would be allowed to keep 200 euros, with any additional funds used to cover procedural costs.
To date, this practice has only been applied in isolated cases, he added, stressing that in the future it would be applied across the board.
"If word gets around, this will reduce the number of arrivals," he told reporters.
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Following the Danish example
Taking valuables from asylum seekers on arrival to fund part of the costs of housing them is already practiced in Denmark, which as part of a wider set of asylum reforms has led to a sharp drop in asylum seekers coming to the Scandinavian nation.
Any item valued at more than 1,300 euros -- including jewelry, watches and even wedding rings -- can be taken away under the Danish law.
Lorek said that the same was also legal to be applied in Germany at the state level, adding however that further measures of a similar nature would have to be decided by the federal government.
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Only one appeal
State Justice Minister Marion Gentges, also a member of the Christian Democrats party (CDU), meanwhile has come out in favor of a similar redesign of the German asylum system after the Danish model.
She told the local papers that she would like to examine whether the legal recourse that asylum seekers are entitled to in the event of a rejected asylum decision could be shortened. In Denmark, she said, failed asylum seekers only had one appeal available in such cases.
"We need rule of law and are committed to it, but we don't need an overflowing legal system," Gentges told the two newspapers.
Cash incentives to leave
Gentges also said she would possibly entertain the idea of offering cash incentives for rejected asylum seekers if they left the country voluntarily.
Denmark currently offers up to 3,500 euros per person, however, only if an appeal against a rejection is not lodged.
A few months ago, Danish Migration and Integration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek already suggested that other European nations -- including Germany -- should copy his country's approach to handling migration.
However, Germany cannot copy all alternative ideas to deal with immigration issues from Denmark: Although Denmark is a member of the European Union, it is not subject to European Law in many instances after being granted an opt-out clause from shared EU laws in 1990.
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Criticism against initiative
The Refugee Council in Baden-Württemberg meanwhile has criticized the justice ministry's plans.
The public body stressed that many refugees did not have any significant funds or belongings that could be confiscated anyway.
"The latest proposals from the Ministry of Justice are another example of how harshness is to be demonstrated in the current context of migration policy -- relatively detached from the factual framework conditions," says Refugee Council Director Anja Bartel.
"(I)t is also clear that anyone applying for asylum is exercising a fundamental right and this must not be associated with costs," says Bartel.
With KNA