German coalition plans strict asylum regulations after Solingen attack
After the terrorist attack in Solingen, the German government coalition aims to tighten asylum regulations. The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice have developed guidelines for drafting the new law, reported "Spiegel". The document proposes, among other things, easier deportations, cuts to benefits, and restricted access to weapons.
The German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser (SPD), and the Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann (FDP), agreed last weekend on a package of measures to "improve internal security and the asylum system," as stated on the newspaper's website. The document is to serve as a guideline for the leaders of the government coalition parties, who are to turn it into a draft amendment of the existing law.
Ultimately, the new law aims to lead to stricter asylum regulations, emphasised "Spiegel".
In the future, people who apply for protection in Germany or who have been granted protection will be denied or stripped of it if they commit crimes of an antisemitic, racist, xenophobic nature related to the victim's gender or sexual orientation or motivated by other motives expressing "contempt for humanity", the document states.
Deportations
Furthermore, anyone who has received asylum in Germany but travels to their home country, for example, to visit family, must expect to lose their status as an asylum seeker and be deported.
Spiegel reported that the same procedure will apply to asylum seekers who have committed "certain crimes using weapons or other dangerous tools." The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees will receive greater authority in determining asylum seekers' identities.
The document by the SPD and FDP ministers also proposes cuts to benefits for asylum seekers who are required to leave the country and where another EU country is responsible for the asylum procedure. These individuals are to be "encouraged to return to the state responsible for processing their application," it was noted.
Changed access to weapons
"Spiegel" reported that the coalition parties want to reform the law regarding gun ownership. "To ensure that extremists and terrorists do not come into possession of weapons and to make it easier to disarm them, legislative regulations will be tightened," the document reads.
The new regulations will focus primarily on knives. In the future, knives will be banned at festivals, railway stations, and on public transport, regardless of blade length, it was noted. There will also be exceptions, for example, for hunters.
The two coalition parties also advocate expanding the powers of German counterintelligence in the area of financial operations to more effectively combat terrorist groups, according to "Spiegel".
Accelerated mode
German media pointed out that the government coalition wants the bill to be processed in an accelerated mode. On Tuesday, the second round of coalition government talks is planned with the opposition (CDU/CSU) and state authorities on migration. The first meeting last week ended without any agreements.
More decisive action on migration policy, including deportations, is demanded by states and municipalities, reported the daily "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" on Monday. Andre Berghegger, the Association of Cities and Municipalities chairman, expressed regret that local authorities and municipalities' representatives do not participate in official migration talks. Municipalities are places of integration, he emphasised. In his opinion, the deportation of people without the right to stay in Germany should be improved. To this end, he assessed that creating a special "task force" would be necessary.
The CSU leader, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder, supported similar solutions. According to him, the number of asylum seekers in Germany should be reduced by up to two-thirds. In Soeder's opinion, Germany is overwhelmed by asylum applications, integration, and "cultural".
