How does Germany want to overcome the migration crisis? Suddenly the federal government is providing many answers to this question. They are not effective.
Migration, migration, migration – that’s what has been echoing through the country since the state elections in Hesse and Bavaria. The problems arise from the increased number of refugees since the start of the Ukraine war. So far, however, they have been downplayed and punished by the federal government and especially the Chancellor. Little happened.
But now the AfD has achieved record results in the state elections, and the traffic light coalition has been severely punished. And lo and behold, suddenly you move, suddenly a lot can happen within a week.
Scholz spoke about migration in the “Tagesthemen”. The Chancellor, his deputy Habeck and Finance Minister Lindner met to finally initiate an important legislative package that had been waiting in their drawers for months. The heads of government of the federal states spent two days discussing the issue of asylum at a Prime Minister’s Conference. The Chancellor will meet CDU leader Merz and two Prime Ministers on Friday evening to push forward a “Germany Pact” that is intended to build bridges between the traffic light government and the opposition on the issue of migration.
Calming pills for an angry nation
A bouquet of projects has been on the table since this week: In order to increase the number of deportations, for example, expulsions at night should be increasingly permitted; Not only the rooms of those affected should be allowed to be searched, but entire refugee homes; The number of grounds for detention pending deportation should be increased and detention on departure should be extended. That’s how Scholz, Lindner and Habeck want it.
The federal states are also considering a switch from cash benefits to benefits in kind, as well as a stricter obligation for asylum seekers to work on a voluntary basis while they are not allowed to enter the regular labor market.
However, many of these suggestions are problematic, and even more are not effective. Scholz and Co. work with placebos. They provide tranquilizers for an angry nation that will do little to change the reality of the problems.
Doubtfully restrictive – and practitioners are ignored
Some of the initiatives are so restrictive that some people in the left-liberal government themselves doubt whether they are compatible with human rights and our legislation – and also whether they will even stand up in the courts.
The topic of deportations also plays a prominent role in a field that can be a hard sell in the current climate. However, people are only too happy to ignore the fact that the vast majority of people who do not have a residence permit in Germany cannot be deported. Because the security situation in their homeland is catastrophic or their countries of origin do not accept them back, for example. Very loud guns for tiny sparrows.
Both traffic lights and countries prefer to remain silent about the fact that many of their measures are difficult to implement in practice. The administrative effort for deportations and the switch from cash to benefits in kind, for example, is huge. But the responsible offices are completely exhausted. Experts have been warning about the collapse for months and are desperately pleading for staff. It’s just that the problem isn’t easy to solve and it sounds outdated – so it’s simply ignored.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that the Scholz government lacks the ideas and, above all, the necessary courage to firstly solve the crisis and secondly to counter the right-wing narrative. The left-liberal government, which declared Germany an immigration country just a few months ago, is now willingly jumping over the AfD’s stick.
Central opportunity missed
There are other ways. For example, lifting work bans for asylum seekers so that they can get a job and support themselves after a short time. On Friday, after their state round, the state heads of government also pushed for more work permits and shortened asylum procedures that would get people into work more quickly.
