A recent INSA survey commissioned by Bild found that two-thirds of Germans support CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s plan to turn back illegal migrants and asylum seekers at all borders. The proposal also received significant support from SPD voters, with 56% in favor and 30% opposed.
Among Green party supporters, the results were less surprising, with 52% opposing Merz’s plan and 30% in support. Not everyone is pleased with Merz’s early maneuvering in the refugee debate, which has been rekindled in Aschaffenburg. Proponents of uncontrolled borders from the SPD and the Green party argued that Merz’s plan would violate European law and the German constitution, despite the opposite being the case. The prolonged border opening by Angela Merkel since 2015 has indeed been a constitutional breach.
SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) that Merz’s move would not only abandon the Union’s previous principles but also split the democratic center and send a fatal signal to European partners.
Merz’s proposal to turn back anyone without valid papers, including asylum seekers, at the German border has sparked heated debate in recent days. For many voters, the stance on the AfD and the so-called “Brandmauer”has become a decisive factor. An internal CDU letter, obtained by the Berliner Zeitung, states that the party will vote on the proposals without regard for who supports them, even if the AfD is the only one in support.
Will the “Brandmauer”fall? It seems so, but Merz quickly took a step back, emphasizing that his proposals are aimed at all Bundestag members, particularly those from the SPD, the Greens and the FDP and not just the AfD.