German police and refugees
As reported by Deutsche Welle, on Thursday, February 25, a new package of laws tightening Germany's migration legislation was adopted by a significant majority. 429 parliamentarians voted for the new measures, 147 against, and four abstained. Among other things, the processing of asylum applications will be accelerated and the possibility for refugees to reunite with family members will be limited.
The acceleration of the application procedure will affect certain groups of refugees, including those from so-called safe countries of origin. In the future, they are to be accommodated in new, separate dormitories where applications will be processed on site. These refugees will also be subject to restrictions on movement within Germany.
The two-year restriction on family reunification will affect, among others, people entitled to so-called subsidiary protection in Germany – primarily Syrian refugees.
In addition, conditions for deporting migrants, especially offenders, will be significantly eased. In case of violations of residence rules, a number of punitive sanctions will be introduced – for example, denial of benefits or denial of refugee status. Also, a partial co-payment from refugees' own funds for participation in integration courses will be introduced.
Before the vote, debates took place in the Bundestag. Representatives of the SPD, the Greens, and the Left Party spoke out against the bill.