GERMANY’S new government will now turn away undocumented immigrants, scrapping former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “open door” policy.
It is one of the first acts under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration.
EPANew German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has promised tougher immigration rules[/caption]
AFPMore officers are expected to be sent to the German border[/caption]
EPAFormer German Chancellor Angela Merkel, under whose tenure the “open door” policy was brought in[/caption]
New Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the controversial 2015 order, which allowed migrants without proper documentation to enter Germany, will be revoked.
He said the move is intended to bring down irregular migration numbers.
Dobrindt added there would be some exemptions to the changes for some vulnerable groups including children and pregnant women.
He told reporters: “We are not going to close the borders, but we are going to control the borders more strictly, and this stronger control of the borders will also lead to a higher number of rejections.
“We will gradually increase this higher number of rejections and the stronger controls at the borders.
“We will ensure that, step by step, more police forces are deployed at the borders and can also carry out these pushbacks.”
Dobrindt, who is part of the conservative wing of the governing coalition, plans to send an extra 3,000 officers to the border – boosting the border police strength to 14,000.
It marks the end of the 2015 open door instruction given by Angela Merkel, whose tenure saw thousands of asylum seekers arrive in Germany.
Many of these people were fleeing the war in Syria.
But new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, an old rival of Merkel within the centre-right CDU, said on Wednesday: “The European Union must send a signal to those who are setting off for Europe without valid entry permits.
“And above all, we need to send a signal to the smuggling organisations that these routes will become much more difficult in the future — and that at some point, they will be closed altogether.
“That is the right and strong common signal.”
Germany’s new immigration rules
The new German government’s immigration policy changes represent a substantial tightening compared to recent years
Gone is the controversial 2015 “open door” policy brought in under Angela Merkel.
Instead, in a legally contentious move, Germany will now attempt to turn away migrants without proper documentation.
However, children and pregnant women are expected to be a exception to this rule.
Germany’s border police is set to be beefed up with 3,000 extra officers under plans announced shortly after Friedrich Merz assumed office.
It will take the force’s total numbers to 14,000 to help with the country’s bid to tighten controls.
The governing coalition also plans further measures including deportations to Syria and suspending family reunions.
The measures have come on the first full working day of Germany’s new government, which comprises the centre-right CDU/CSU and centre-left SPD.
Friedrich Merz’s path to office hit an unexpected hurdle on Tuesday when he lost an initial confirmation vote in the German Bundestag.
He was finally confirmed in a subsequent vote later that same day.
The new, tougher immigration policy comes at a time when Germany is seeing surging support for the far-right.
The far-right AfD party had its best result to date in February’s federal election, ending up in second place and knocking then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz‘s SPD out of the top two.
What was Merkel’s ‘open doors’ policy?
At the height of the European migrant crisis in the mid-2010s, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a decision that would shape her legacy.
While other European capitals debated how to respond to the large scale movement of people across the continent, Merkel declined to turn migrants away.
This is what became her “open door” policy, and saw hundreds of thousands of refugees arrive in Germany.
The move was lauded and criticised at the time in equal measure, with Merkel repeatedly defending the move in the following years.
However, there has been sustained backlash to it – with rising anti-immigration sentiment spreading through Germany.
The Merz government’s announcement has brought the policy to an end.
Merz campaigned heavily during the election on taking a tougher line on immigration.
His governing coalition has also agreed to further measures including deportations to Syria and suspending family reunions.
The new policies represent the most stringent immigration rules in Germany for many years.
The open door policy has become one of the most contentious aspects of Angela Merkel’s legacy as German Chancellor.
TIME Magazine named her Person of the Year in 2015 – which was linked in part to her leadership during the migrant crisis.
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