In the Union’s view, the Federal Government needs to act more quickly in the migration crisis. The CDU federal chairman Friedrich Merz and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) made corresponding demands at the Junge Union’s Germany Day in Braunschweig. Merz made a new offer to Chancellor Olaf Scholz to negotiate migration.
“We still have to make decisions this year so that this uncontrolled and unregulated illegal migration to the Federal Republic of Germany stops after the winter,” said Merz. Söder emphasized that the Chancellor had to deliver. When it comes to migration, you don’t have one or two years.
Merz offers the Chancellor a small negotiating group
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had offered the states and the “democratic opposition” a “Germany Pact” to advance reforms – for example in restricting irregular migration. Merz emphasized that they were ready to enter into such a pact. “The only thing that has happened so far is a really good dinner last Friday, but nothing else,” criticized Merz, referring to the pact. Scholz had invited Merz to an evening conversation with Prime Ministers Boris Rhein (CDU) and Stephan Weil (SPD) on the subject of migration.
Merz now offered the Chancellor to negotiate in a small negotiating group about ways to limit irregular migration. In a letter to Scholz dated Friday, Merz Scholz, also on behalf of CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt, suggests “that we appoint a small, equal negotiating group made up of representatives of your government and my group to start discussions on this topic.”
Scholz: We have to deport more and faster
Scholz recently announced that he wanted to take tougher action against rejected asylum seekers and limit irregular migration in Germany. “We finally have to deport those who have no right to stay in Germany on a large scale,” the SPD politician told “Spiegel”. Anyone who cannot rely on reasons for protection and has no prospects of staying must leave. “We have to deport more and faster.”
In the first nine months of this year, more people entered Germany illegally than in the six previous years. From January to September, 92,119 people have been registered so far, the federal police in Potsdam said. This number was last exceeded in 2016 – after the year of the so-called refugee crisis – with 111,843. Last year there were 91,986 people.
In September 2023, the federal police counted 21,366 migrants who entered the country illegally – around twice as many as in July with 10,714. It was the highest monthly figure since February 2016, when 25,650 people were registered.
Söder calls for border police in Germany
Last Monday, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) notified the EU Commission of fixed controls for the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland for an initial period of ten days. Faeser wants to limit irregular immigration and combat smuggling more strongly.
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) does not go far enough with stationary border controls. He called for border police based on the Bavarian model throughout Germany. “We need such a border police for all of Germany at the border, it’s not just enough in Bavaria, we need it as a whole,” said Söder. There has been a border police in Bavaria for five years.
CSU Vice President Weber is skeptical about national border controls
EPP group leader Manfred Weber doubted the effectiveness of border controls. “Do we seriously believe that reintroducing national border controls can be the solution?” said Weber on Saturday in Braunschweig. Weber explained that he only partially believes that fewer refugees are coming to Germany because of controls at certain motorway points. He advocated strengthening Europe’s external borders. “I want us to finally be able to secure our European borders and maintain freedom of movement in Europe.”
Klingbeil against an upper limit for the admission of refugees
Söder received headwinds from Lars Klingbeil for a demand. The SPD federal chairman spoke out against an upper limit for the admission of refugees. “An upper limit cannot be implemented,” Klingbeil told “Welt am Sonntag”. He does not believe that the federal government would have the coldness and heartlessness to, for example, turn back a politically persecuted woman from Iran if the upper limit has already been reached.
During the state election campaign, the Bavarian Prime Minister Söder brought up an upper limit for the admission of refugees of around 200,000 people as a guideline. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had already rejected this for the federal government.
