German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR) Criticizes Recent Developments in German Migration Policy
The German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR) has criticized recent developments in German migration policy. In its 9th Human Rights Report, presented on Monday in Berlin, the institute complains about “far-reaching toughening” in migration law and a policy that “prioritizes deterrence and scaring off of asylum seekers”.
DIMR Director Beate Rudolf expressed great concern, stating that “many politicians from democratic parties are proposing to abolish the right to asylum, or questioning the human dignity minimum”. Rudolf emphasized that many people believe this only affects others, but this is not the case. “If today the minimum of subsistence for asylum seekers is reduced, it can be someone else tomorrow”.
“The human rights of either all or none applies”, Rudolf said. “Discussing the abolition or erosion of individual human rights undermines the foundation of our constitutional order.” She expects “all democratic parties to stand by all human rights in the election campaign without any exceptions”.
For instance, the asylum seeker fee offers ample space for intimidation. At the same time, it has not been proven that the fee would lead to fewer asylum seekers coming to Germany. The institute recommends the federal government and states to commission scientific studies on the effects and consequences of the fee.
Moreover, the institute is against the outsourcing of asylum proceedings to third countries: “Outsourced asylum proceedings cannot be designed in a human rights-compliant manner in practice – they will always be accompanied by human rights violations against asylum seekers”, Rudolf said.
The human rights report as a whole includes 42 recommendations to the federal government, states, and municipalities. The institute assesses political and legislative developments that were particularly relevant to human rights in Germany from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. These include, apart from toughening in migration law, topics such as housing shortages, exclusion of people with disabilities in the labor market, exploitative working conditions of migrant workers, and developments concerning corporate responsibility for human rights.