Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the new German government's decision to turn away irregular migrants at the border, even if they claim asylum.
"When someone says 'asylum' here on the German border, then a procedure must take place first – directly at the border, if you like, but a procedure," Merkel said in an excerpt of a documentary shown on German broadcaster ARD on Monday.
"That's how I understood European law," said Merkel, who formerly led the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, now led by current Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Merkel met former refugees for a documentary marking the 10th anniversary of her landmark decision to keep Germany's borders open during the 2015 European migrant crisis.
The highly consequential decision led to hundreds of thousands of migrants, many of them of Syrian origin, arriving in Germany.
While many have since settled in the country, contributed significantly to the economy, and acquired German nationality, Merkel's move sparked a backlash, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) since gaining traction on an anti-immigrant platform.
Subsequent administrations have sought to limit the number of migrants reaching Germany, and Merz's government has imposed strict regulations since taking office last month, including the controversial policy to turn back asylum-seekers.
Although a Berlin court ruled against the measure earlier this month in the case of three Somalians who were denied entry despite claiming asylum, Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt have called the ruling an "individual decision" and have kept the policy in force.
Thorsten Frei, the head of Merz's office, rejected Merkel's criticism.
"If someone has already been granted asylum somewhere in Europe, if someone has come to us through safe countries in Europe, then of course we are not dealing with someone who is on the run, but with people who come from safe countries," he told ARD on Monday.
Frei defended Merkel's famous "We can do it" declaration, made in 2015 in relation to the migrant crisis, but said that "times have changed."
"When a head of government says, 'We can do it,' that is the right attitude. Because that's what you can expect from a government – that it doesn't bury its head in the sand, but deals with the challenges," he said.
"But times have changed, of course," Frei added. "Back in 2019, when Angela Merkel was still in government, we put together a major migration package that also included a law to improve repatriation. So it's absolutely clear that we need to do more to organize, control and, above all, limit migration."
Merkel's migration challenge
Merkel has long had a frosty relationship with Merz, the first CDU chancellor since her 16-year term ended in 2021.
The pair were rivals for the CDU leadership at the turn of the century, before Merkel won a power struggle and forced Merz into political exile.
She notably criticized Merz's decision to pass a motion in parliament with votes from the AfD earlier this year.
In the documentary excerpt shown on Monday, she said she had sought to avoid allowing her migration policy to be driven by the AfD.
"I can't always just talk about the AfD and take up their agenda. I must also take on board the agenda of all those who say: yes, we must reduce the number of illegal migrants, but we must also continue to uphold our values," she said.
- Angela Merkel
- Criticizes
- German
- asylum policy
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
