German Cabinet passes asylum-seeker deportation reform

As Chancellor Olaf Scholz strives to defuse migration as a political issue, the German Cabinet passed measures Wednesday to facilitate deportations of unsuccessful asylum seekers.

The new legislation, which would require parliamentary approval, would increase pre-deportation imprisonment from 10 to 28 days and facilitate the deportation of criminal organization members.

It would also allow residential searches for identification documents and release authorities from some deportation notice requirements.

Recent months have seen a rise of asylum-seekers in Germany, adding to the 1 million Ukrainians who have arrived since Russia's war began.

Two weeks ago, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser unveiled the new law. Scholz warned last week that Germany should deport “on a large scale” unauthorized migrants.

“To protect the fundamental right to asylum, we must significantly limit irregular migration,” Faeser stated Wednesday. “Those without permission must leave our country again.”