Germany’s Interior Minister, Jens Spahn, has announced a sharp shift in asylum policies in the event of a victory for his party in the Bundestag election. According to a recent interview, Spahn stated, “We will turn back every individual at the border who crosses the land border.” He emphasized that those from secure third countries have no right to asylum in Germany, as the country is surrounded by safe third countries.
Spahn believes that Germany’s migration policies of the past decade have pushed the country to the “social limit.” He pointed out that the effects of this are visible in schools, kindergartens, the housing market, and train stations. Therefore, he believes that illegal migration must be brought to zero. “If something is illegal, it should not happen, that’s simple” he said.
Instead, Germany could take in people from acute war zones, Spahn suggested, citing the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, as an example. “We’re not saying we don’t want to help anyone. But we must have control over who we help and why” he emphasized.
Separately, Spahn plans to suspend the “family reunification” program, in its entirety. In the last four years, around 500,000 people have arrived in Germany through family reunification, according to Spahn, a figure that is absent from official statistics.