German
government under pressure amid calls for stricter asylum policy
Criticism of
government grows after Solingen attack, Chancellor Scholz promises a tougher
line on irregular migration, says steps will be taken to speed up deportation
of rejected asylum seekers, those who committed serious offenses
Anadolu
staff |
26.08.2024 -
Update : 27.08.2024
BERLIN
German
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday promised new measures to address irregular
migration and criminality, in the aftermath of a knife attack in Solingen.
“We must do
everything we can to ensure that such things will never happen again in our
country,” Scholz told reporters, after visiting the scene where three people
were killed and eight others injured on Friday night.
“There are
many important things to do. Obviously, the next step will be to tighten up the
gun laws that we have in Germany. This applies in particular to the carrying
knives, but also many other things must be regulated,” he said.
The suspect
in the Solingen attack turned himself in to police on Saturday, and he was
identified by officials as Issa Al H., a 26-year-old Syrian national. He was
suspected of being a member of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.
Authorities
have said the suspect came to Germany in 2022, but but he did not qualify for
refugee status in the country. He was supposed to be deported last year to
Bulgaria, the first country he entered in the EU.
Chancellor
Scholz on Monday acknowledged legal and practical problems in deporting illegal
immigrants and criminals to their home countries, but promised that his
government will undertake stronger efforts to address this issue.
“We will
have to do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and are not
allowed to stay here in Germany are repatriated and deported,” he said, adding
that while they have managed to increase deportations by 30% this year, it was
not satisfactory figure.
“That is by
no means a reason for us to sit back and do nothing. On the contrary, we will
look very closely at how we can contribute to increasing these numbers even
further - if necessary with legal regulations,” Scholz said.
He also
underlined that his government has introduced heightened controls at Germany's
borders, and was determined to bring down the number of illegal immigrants
entering the country.
The EU’s
largest economy remains the top destination for illegal immigrants, and last
year authorities registered 266,224 cases of illegal entry and residence. Many
of the irregular migrants were asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan.
Following
the stabbing attack in Solingen, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition came
under increased pressure from the opposition parties, which accused the
government of neglecting the problem for years, and even promoting illegal
immigration with its policies.
Friedrich
Merz, leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has demanded
“quick decisions” from the government for a drastic overhaul of migration
policy. He said criminal asylum seekers should be deported to their home
countries without delay, and Germany should stop taking in any refugees from
Syria and Afghanistan.
Alice
Weidel, co-chairwoman of the far-right AfD party, called for a moratorium on
immigration for at least 5 years, and argued for deporting all irregular
migrants who do not possess a legal residence permit.
“The groups
of people with the highest crime rates - primarily Afghans, Syrians and Iraqis
who are staying in Germany illegally - must be deported,” she said.
The latest
polls show that the AfD would likely to increase its share of the vote in
Sunday’s regional elections in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony.
The
anti-immigrant party was on track to come in first place in Thuringia by
winning 30% vote, about nine percentage ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU),
according to INSA institute. In the neighboring state of Saxony, the AfD was
leading the polls with around 32%, compared with 30% for the CDU and 15% for
the left-wing populist BSW party.
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