Stricter migration rules CDU wins AfD votes for asylum turnaround in Germany

SDA

29.1.2025 - 17:58

View of the Reichstag building, the seat of the German Bundestag. (Archive)
View of the Reichstag building, the seat of the German Bundestag. (Archive)
Keystone/Monika Skolimowska

Unprecedented event in the German Bundestag: in order to get a motion to tighten migration policy through parliament, the CDU has relied on votes from the AfD. This is considered a breach of taboo in Germany.

Keystone-SDA

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • In the Bundestag, a majority voted in favor of a motion by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for more rejections of asylum seekers at Germany's borders.
  • In the debate, MPs from the CDU/CSU, FDP and AfD, as well as some non-attached MPs, had spoken out in favor of the proposal.
  • In contrast, a second CDU/CSU motion with reform proposals for a restrictive migration policy and additional powers for the security authorities was rejected by a majority.

A motion by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group for more rejections of asylum seekers at Germany's borders received a majority in the Bundestag, as the chair of the session, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, announced. However, a second CDU/CSU motion with comprehensive reform proposals for a restrictive migration policy and additional powers for the security authorities was rejected by a majority.

The first motion for more deportations received 348 votes in favor, 345 against and 10 abstentions. During the debate, MPs from the CDU/CSU, FDP and AfD as well as some non-attached MPs had spoken out in favor of the proposal. The BSW announced that it would abstain. The SPD, Greens and Left positioned themselves against it.

The second motion for far-reaching reforms received 190 votes in favor, 509 against and 3 abstentions. During the debate, MPs from the SPD, Greens, Left Party, BSW, AfD and FDP had spoken out against the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's proposal.

What the first motion says

The first motion states: "There is a de facto entry ban for people who do not have valid entry documents and who are not covered by European freedom of movement." This should also explicitly apply to people who want to apply for asylum in Germany. Anyone who is required to leave the country is to be detained. A greater role for the federal police in repatriations is also envisaged.

Criminals and dangerous persons who are required to leave the country should be detained indefinitely until they leave voluntarily or their deportation can be carried out. Permanent border controls are also called for. However, there have already been stationary controls at all German land borders for several months by order of Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD).

What the second motion says

The Union's motion states: "If people who are guests in Germany and seek help become criminals or engage in conflicts on German soil, their stay must be terminated." The powers of electronic facial recognition are to be extended - including at train stations and airports.

Telecommunications companies are to be obliged to store IP addresses that can be used to identify devices on the internet. Family reunification with persons entitled to subsidiary protection, often civil war refugees, and all voluntary admission programs are to be stopped. The police forces at Germany's borders are to be strengthened.

The FDP had already stated in advance that it would not support the motion due to the proposals on data retention contained in it. With data retention, providers would be legally obliged to save users' telephone and internet connection data so that investigators can access it later.

Outrage among SPD and Greens

The CDU/CSU had sparked outrage among the SPD and the Greens with its initiative, as it was foreseeable that the plans could only find a majority with votes from the AfD. Union parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) had said of the plans: "And we will introduce them, regardless of who agrees to them," the Union parliamentary group leader had emphasized.

The immediate trigger for the Union's proposals was a bloody crime in Aschaffenburg. An apparently mentally ill man from Afghanistan allegedly killed a two-year-old boy with Moroccan roots from a kindergarten group with a knife on Wednesday last week. A 41-year-old father of a family who stood between the attacker and the children also died. Other people were seriously injured, including a two-year-old girl of Syrian descent. The 28-year-old suspected attacker was required to leave the country and is currently in a psychiatric facility. The attack was preceded by a series of other attacks in which foreigners are also suspected.