Less than a week earlier, Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, conveyed a clear stance in a conversation with the weekly magazine Der Spiegel: Germany must reduce the number of people seeking refuge on its soil. He summarized this as an absolutely excessive figure. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is also a member of the Social Democratic Party, introduced legislation aimed at streamlining a key immigration process: deportation of individuals who arrived as refugees, had their asylum applications denied, and show little potential to participate in the labor market. The proposal highlights concerns about the involvement of criminal networks and potential extremism among some applicants.
Internal affairs data indicate that nearly 280,000 people could be subject to deportation decisions. Of these, about 205,000 are categorized as in a “tolerable” situation, meaning that deportation is not feasible due to humanitarian, bureaucratic, or bilateral agreement constraints. For some individuals, such barriers have persisted for as long as 18 months. So far this year, only around 12,000 have been deported, and Faeser argues that this represents a 27% rise compared with the previous year, although the figures still fall short of the targets.
The tri-party bill, backed by the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the Free Democrats, created some friction within the Green base. Nevertheless, it recently secured coalition approval to proceed through the parliamentary process.
Bureaucratic obstacles and humanitarian considerations
The reform would extend the maximum detention period for individuals awaiting deportation from ten days to twenty-seven days in authorized centers. The aim is to cut through the bureaucratic backlog that often makes deportation processes unsustainable due to paperwork and administrative hurdles. The draft also eliminates the obligation to formally inform the affected person about an impending deportation, a change that addresses the risk of individuals leaving reception facilities and then disappearing within German territory.
Faeser argues that these rules are compatible with European law. The bill arrives after months of criticism directed at the minister by opponents who described her as ineffective on immigration matters. The conservative bloc, alongside the AfD, has pressed for changes while regional governments have highlighted constraints on reception capacities. Critics warn of national and European security risks if asylum applicants who see their claims rejected remain in the country, potentially radicalizing or becoming involved in organized crime.
In recent years, Germany has accommodated large numbers of refugees, with 2022 recording substantial inflows following the 2015 migration crisis, and a continued influx of people from Ukraine alongside others arriving from various origins. Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, the country has seen tens of thousands of additional arrivals. Analysts estimate that thousands of irregular migrants may still enter Germany in the current year, with irregular crossings often occurring via neighboring states.