Germany’s newly formed government has decided to take a new direction regarding its immigration policy, effectively ending the ‘open door’ agendas of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. This significant shift in stance comes under the leadership of the new Chancellor Friedrich Merz who has shown an active interest in mitigating illegal migration. The newly appointed Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, made the announcement to cancel the debated 2015 rule that allowed undocument migrants to gain entry into Germany.
Dobrindt substantiated this move by indicating that it’s aimed at lowering the number of irregular migrants. Nonetheless, he also mentioned that there would be certain exceptions for particular vulnerable sections of society such as children and expectant mothers. The Interior Minister asserted, ‘Our aim is not to entirely seal our borders, but to execute stricter surveillance and control, which would inevitably result in an increase in rejections.’
He further elaborated, ‘We plan to progressively escalate the rate and strength of rejections by imposing enhanced controls at the borders. Additional police personnel will be introduced at these borders who will have the authority to execute these rejections.’ Dobrindt, being a member of the governing coalition’s conservative faction, envisions augmenting the border police strength to 14,000 by assigning an additional 3,000 officers to the borderlands.
This change signifies an end to Angela Merkel’s 2015 policy directive that facilitated the delivery of asylum to many refugees in Germany, a large proportion of them fleeing the brutal atrocities of the Syria war. The newly minted Chancellor Friedrich Merz shared on a recent Wednesday, ‘The European Union must disseminate a message to those who are venturing into Europe without valid entry permissions.’
He also emphasized the importance of dissuading the smuggling rings promising a tough journey ahead — and pointed towards the eventuality of the routes being completely sealed off as the strong unified message that needs to be transmitted. This paradigm shift in the immigration policy of the German government signifies a significant tightening compared to the lax regulations from earlier years.
The German border police stand to be bolstered with an increase of 3,000 officers, raising the overall strength to 14,000 – a necessary move to aid the nation’s attempts to straiten controls. Moreover, the governing coalition has a blueprint for formulating further measures including the deportations to Syria and putting a halt to family reunions.
Germany is stepping into a more stringent immigration phase when circumstances signal a growing endorsement for increasingly divisive far-right ideologies. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel, during the peak of the European migrant crisis in the mid-2010s, opted to permit migrants seeking refuge – a defining moment in her leadership. As other European leaders were contemplating the response to the rising influx of people across the continent, Merkel chose a welcoming stance.
Merkel’s decision to sustain the ‘open door’ policy led to the arrival of immense numbers of refugees in Germany. But this approach has confronted a prolonged backlash, paralleling the spread of an anti-immigration sentiment throughout Germany. The introduction of these freshly brewed policies indicates the strictest immigration rules the nation has seen in a considerable amount of years.
The ‘open-door’ policy remains one of the most fiercely debated parts of Angela Merkel’s Chancellorship legacy. However, Germany, which processed over a million asylum applications from 2015 to 2017, wasn’t the sole European nation grappling with the 2015 migrant crisis. The omnipresent discussions about immigration also gripped the United Kingdom, with its impact largely attributed to the inception of Brexit.
The recurrent topic of high immigration figures and minor boat crossings garnered significant attention during the last general elections. The more rigid immigration policy introduced by the current German government sheds light on a time when support for far-right ideologies is accelerating. Amidst this, it is significant to remember that while previous policies are being reevaluated and new challenges are arising, the focus should remain on maintaining a fair and humanitarian approach.