Germany and EU allies push for ‘tougher, stricter’ asylum rules

Berlin calls itself ‘locomotive’ of European crackdown connected immigration, expelling 81 Afghans earlier meeting.

Germany’s interior curate has hosted 5 of his European counterparts to sermon ways of tightening the region’s asylum rules, arsenic his state deported 81 Afghans to their Taliban-controlled homeland.

The European Union’s migration strategy needed to beryllium “tougher and stricter”, Minister Alexander Dobrindt said aft Friday’s gathering successful confederate Germany with the interior ministers of France, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Denmark, arsenic good arsenic EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner.

The cohort issued a five-page communique connected their aims, which included the constitution of “return hubs” for holding radical extracurricular the EU, enabling asylum procedures successful 3rd countries, and allowing deportations to Afghanistan and Syria arsenic modular practice.

All measures would necessitate support from Brussels.

“When we analyse what has been agreed here, it’s lofty ambitions, but not overmuch item astir however they mean to prosecute what’s successful these 5 pages,” said Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane, reporting from Berlin.

Ministers, helium said, had talked astir “the sorts of things that they hold on, but they cognize they can’t instrumentality them themselves arsenic unilateral decisions.”

Speaking aft the meeting, Dobrindt said, “We wanted to nonstop a awesome that Germany is nary longer sitting successful the brakeman’s cab connected migration issues successful Europe, but is successful the locomotive.”

Afghans deported

Hours earlier the meeting, Germany demonstrated conscionable however superior it was astir cracking down connected migration by sending 81 Afghan nationals backmost to their homeland, prompting an outcry from rights organisations.

Amnesty International criticised the deportations, saying the concern successful Afghanistan was “catastrophic” and that “extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and torture are commonplace”.

Europe’s apical system had stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy successful Kabul pursuing the Taliban movement’s instrumentality to powerfulness successful 2021.

But Berlin resumed expulsions past twelvemonth erstwhile the erstwhile authorities of Olaf Scholz expelled 28 convicted Afghans.

Current Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended the expulsions of the 81 Afghan men, saying helium was “grateful” to beryllium capable to present connected promises made erstwhile entering authorities successful May.

None of those deported “had a residence presumption immoderate more. All asylum applications were legally rejected without further ineligible recourse”, helium said astatine a quality conference.

Bavaria state’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said 15 of the deported Afghans had been incarcerated for crimes, including execution and manslaughter, intersexual offences and spot crimes.

The authorities of Baden-Wuerttemberg said 13 Afghans deported from determination had been jailed for crimes including homicide, bodily harm, cause offences and superior arson.

In the aftermath of the announcement, the United Nations said nary 1 should beryllium sent backmost to Afghanistan, immoderate their status.

The UN quality rights commissioner called for an “immediate halt to the forcible instrumentality of each Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers”, highlighting the risks faced by returnees.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies