Angela Merkel’s “We will succeed” has never sounded so far away as it does now. Almost nine years after the famous phrase with which the former Christian Democratic Chancellor encouraged citizens to welcome the million refugees fleeing the war in Syria, Germany is rethinking its migration policy. The jihadist attack in Solingen has shocked the country and provoked an almost unanimous reaction against “the problem of migration” just days before crucial elections in the eastern federal states of Thuringia and Saxony, where the ultras of Alternative for Germany (AfD) are trying to capitalize on the indignation and uncertainty of many citizens to mobilize their voters. The debate on the tightening of the regulations on deportations and asylum, led by a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) that is very critical of the government, is omnipresent.
The conservative opposition is demanding fewer words and more actions from Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has already promised to increase the number of deportations and reduce illegal entries. This is not enough, says CDU leader Friedrich Merz, who on Tuesday called a crowded press conference to explain the “offer” he has made to Scholz: an agreement between the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the CDU to change the laws that are necessary and reduce the entry of illegal immigrants “to zero.” “We have to regain control of our borders,” he said in response to questions from journalists who questioned the legality of returning asylum seekers.
“The chancellor is running the country out of control,” said Merz, who is increasing the pressure on Scholz with his press conference. The murder of three people in Solingen on Friday by a Syrian refugee has intensified a debate that has been going on for months about Germany’s ability to take in millions of foreigners. The difference now is that the origin of these foreigners is being openly discussed. Merz proposes to turn away only refugees from Afghanistan and Syria at the borders. “These are the two problematic groups we currently have,” he said. Knowing that this would not be legal, he suggested changing European laws.
The CDU leader repeatedly said that his proposals have nothing to do with the upcoming elections, in which the far-right AfD is the favourite. “I would say the same thing if they had already taken place,” he said. He was forced to justify himself when asked by journalists who suggested that he was copying the AfD’s narrative to present himself as a party of order and security. Some of Merz’s phrases are often heard from leaders of the far-right party, such as that “the system [de acogida] does not work” or that in Germany there are primary school classes “with up to 90% of children who do not know how to speak German”. AfD has branded the other parties as “accomplices” in the attack.
Scholz had planned to meet Merz to discuss US weapons on German soil, but the attack forced him to change the subject to migration policy. The conservative leader said that the chancellor had listened to his proposals and said that he would consider them. Merz later suggested that the legislative reforms be approved without the Social Democrats’ coalition partners. “SPD and CDU-CSU have a majority. We don’t even need the FDP.” [liberales] nor to the Greens,” he said.
Illegal measures
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Some of the measures proposed by Merz are already in place under Scholz’s government, which, after the knife attack in Mannheim in May, in which a policeman was killed by an Afghan refugee, announced that it wanted to expel the Germans from Afghanistan and Syria, countries that until now were considered unsafe and with which Berlin has no diplomatic relations. Others do not seem feasible, because they conflict with international law and the German constitution itself, which includes the individual right to request asylum. But they have a powerful political effect that Scholz cannot afford to ignore. The chancellor had no public events after Merz’s press conference and did not give his version of the content of the meeting or announce his response.
Although the debate on television talk shows is mainly about how to improve deportations or prevent further arrivals, issues such as integration or the financing of services dealing with refugees are also beginning to appear in the media. Even in the discussion of issues that were previously considered taboo in most German newspapers, such as the relationship between immigration and crime.
“The question of whether migrants are more criminal than German citizens is extremely controversial from a political point of view,” writes the German newspaper on Tuesday. Frankfurter Allgemeine,which provides data showing that the percentage of violent crimes committed by foreigners has increased in recent years.
The Frankfurt daily reports that recent murders by migrants have been motivated by Islamism – probably Solingen, where the Islamic State has claimed responsibility; Mannheim, Würzburg and Berlin – or by mental illness, but “what many of the cases have in common is that the perpetrators or suspects were in precarious living situations,” it adds: “Many lacked protection status, had been living in refugee accommodation for years and some were threatened with deportation.”
The authorities have made avoidable mistakes that have nothing to do with current immigration laws, such as not carrying out deportations. Merz did not want to address the fact that the suspected Solingen murderer had an expulsion order to Bulgaria (where he had entered the EU) that was not executed. An investigation is underway into what happened and whether the fact that the offices are overwhelmed could have facilitated the error. “I don’t want to get into a blame game,” he said when reminded that deportations are the responsibility of the federal states. In North Rhine-Westphalia, landwhere Solingen is located, the CDU governs.
Germany is also putting the spotlight on security and intelligence services, because in some cases the media did not take threats seriously or people who should be monitored were overlooked. “This is probably mainly due to the large number of people who have arrived in the country since 2015,” says the official. Frankfurter Allgemeine. Since 2015, some 2.7 million asylum seekers have arrived in Germany, in addition to 1.2 million Ukrainian war refugees. Scholz, a Social Democrat who applauded Merkel when she decided to open the borders, has admitted that “there are too many.”
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