GERMANY’S new government will now turn away undocumented immigrants, scrapping former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “open door” policy.
New Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced the controversial 2015 order, which allowed migrants without proper documentation to enter Germany, will be revoked.
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He said the move is intended to bring down irregular migration numbers.
It is one of the first acts under new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration.
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.
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.
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.