The federal government has tightened the rules for deporting foreigners who are required to leave the country. There is criticism of this, particularly from the Greens. In the daily topics Vice Chancellor Habeck defended the decision.
In an interview with the daily topics Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck defended the federal government’s decision to tighten the rules for deportations of foreigners who are obliged to leave the country. It is important to understand that although there is a right to entry, asylum and work in Germany, this right is not unlimited, said the Green politician.
Criticism from within our own ranks
The tightening of the deportation law was previously met with strong criticism, particularly from Habeck’s Greens. The decision is a disproportionate interference with the fundamental rights to freedom and violates privacy, according to the accusation.
When asked how he justified this “traffic light compromise” in his own party, Habeck explained that the goal was to get people “out of the asylum system, out of the social systems and into work.” The right to asylum is part of Germany’s DNA. But if you don’t work here and can’t show any reason for protection, this legal norm doesn’t apply to you. The law is therefore a “commitment to rights, but also to the clarity of what happens if these rights cannot be granted.”
High levels of immigration cannot be dealt with by law
However, Habeck does not expect that the problem of increased immigration will be solved with the new regulation. “The increased repatriation of those who do not want to work here and cannot get a protective title does not solve the problem that is currently affecting many people and communities – namely that a lot of people are coming,” said Habeck.
The additional repatriations, on the other hand, only affect a few hundred or a few thousand people per year, said the Green politician. At the same time, several hundred thousand people come to Germany every year.
Tighter regulations in response to the AfD boom?
The Vice Chancellor vehemently rejected the accusation that the government was reacting primarily to the AfD’s rising forecasts with new deportation regulations – the laws would simply be processed one after the other. “Now it’s the turn of this law. Not all laws can be passed at the same time,” said Habeck.