It was a shock to all of Germany: an Islamist from Somalia known to the police killed three women in Würzburg.
Among the bitter questions millions of citizens are now asking, this is at the fore: Why was Abd al-Rahman J. (24) Able to live without inconvenience in Germany despite the rejection of his asylum application?
Should we, as Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann (CSU) suggested at BILD Live, rethink the principle of “subsidiary” protection – and instead put rejected asylum seekers and criminally offenders on deposit?
► The truth is that currently more than 290,000 people in Germany will have to leave the country, but according to statistics, only one in 30 people is deported each year; In 2020, this number was 10,800 people. The main reason: Many responsible federal states (including Bremen and Saarland) avoid this obligation.
The federal government wants to prevent this failure from becoming an electoral issue in the wake of the refugee crisis in 2015 (BILD reported).
But most EU countries (including Austria and France) are not a taboo in talking about refugees and the limits of their willingness to accept them. Even Denmark, considered liberal, has come to the radical conclusion that deterrence is an acceptable way to reduce the number of “undesirable” immigrants.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, 43, and Integration Minister Matthias Tesfaye, 40, both SPDs, have spoken openly about the fact that they want to bring the number of asylum seekers down to zero. Since 2019 – and the decision was preceded by a month-long debate – the government’s primary goal is no longer integration, but rather the fastest possible return of people to their countries of origin.
The first means: deterrence. At the Kærshovedgård National Departure Center (operating since 2016) there are only a minimum of approximately 250 rejected asylum seekers who have not been deported simply because they are at risk of persecution in their home country.
Rejected asylum seekers are only allowed to leave the Danish “departure center” in Kærshovedgård (central Jutland) if they leave the countryPhoto: Photo Alliance / Ritzau Scanby
► The government even thought out loud twice about “transferring” rejected asylum seekers to the Danish islands.
Latest idea: not to let refugees into the country at all, but to check their asylum applications outside the EU (including Africa).
After the alleged Islamist attack in Würzburg, local politicians called for more efforts to be made to deport immigrants who were forced to leave the country. Deportation centers and the processing of asylum applications abroad based on the example of Denmark or Australia are possible models.
► CDU internal politician Axel Fischer (55 years old) in the Bild case: “We have to significantly improve the process of deportation of rejected asylum seekers. Deportation centers can be useful here.”
The FDP’s internal expert, Linda Teutberg (40), has called for asylum procedures to be implemented abroad and only migrants with an asylum decision to be allowed into the country. She tells BILD: “Fair initial checks at asylum centers in third countries at the external borders of the European Union is an important step in the right direction. To this end, Germany, along with other major target countries of illegal immigration such as France and Denmark, must apply pressure and start Its own new push for realistic immigration policy. The entire federal government has a duty – the Chancellor and the Federal Minister of the Interior as well as the Secretary of State.”
► CSU Deputy Secretary-General Florian Hahn (47) finds that the Federal Minister of Justice in particular is obligated to enforce comprehensive preventive detention of immigrants who are forced to leave the country.
“After improving deportation detention capabilities under the legislative package to facilitate termination of residence, the introduction of protective confinement for external threats is another important component,” Han told BILD. What has been possible in Bavaria for so long must be quickly implemented at the federal level. I urge the Federal Departments of Justice not to slow down on the project any longer.”
Outside of Europe, some governments go even further
► Australia example: There, boat refugees were often taken for years to the Naur Islands and Manus Island (part of Papua New Guinea) with the aim of persuading them to return home. Recently, a property has been revitalized in the Christmas Islands.
► Canada example: The liberal state also relies on deterrence when it comes to unwanted immigration. Nearly 9,000 people have recently been detained in deportation facilities.