Germany will continue to pursue a hard line on migration by extending border controls and increasing deportations, according to a senior minister. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has confirmed that a tough crackdown on illegal migration, which has been in force since the Christian Democratic Union’s (CDU) election victory earlier this year, will continue despite criticism from Amnesty International and other human rights groups.
The country has significantly tightened border controls in recent months, with the Government deploying 3,000 more border officers, increasing border rejections and denying the majority of asylum claims. The CDU won the German election in February but faced unprecedented opposition from the far-right, with the Alternative für Germany (AfD) party receiving more than 20% of the vote. Dobrindt said on a podcast appearance: “We will continue to maintain the border controls.”
The lead up to the election saw Germany hit by a series of terrorist attacks and high-profile crimes blamed on asylum seekers, which is believed to have fuelled an increase in support for the far-right, especially in the east of the country.
Dobrindt added: “We are in agreement with our European partners that this is a necessary measure until the (EU) external border protection system is fully operational.”
The minister confirmed that the country plans to deport more rejected asylum seekers with criminal records to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.
The country’s recent approach to immigration marks a stark contrast from that seen over the last two decades.
In 2015, under Angela Merkel, the country allowed nearly a million Syrians to enter the country as they escaped war and persecution under Bashar al-Assad.
The large influx combined with the overthrowing of the Syrian dictator just months before the election saw refugees from Syria in particular become a key point of debate.
According to data from the German Interior Ministry, 9,254 people were turned back at German land borders between May 8 and July 31, with most recorded cases from Afghanistan, followed by Algeria, Eritrea and Somalia.
The country has also increased the number of people it is removing from the country. On two occasions, it has removed migrants convicted of offences to Afghanistan, including last month when 81 people were removed, something that Dobrindt wants to ensure is “not a one-off measure”.
Human rights groups have criticised the deportations, arguing that the deportation of people back to Afghanistan was “catastrophic” in a country where “extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and torture are commonplace”.