Bundestag debates accelerated naturalization

Nationality law - Bundestag debates accelerated naturalization

Deliberations on accelerated naturalization and the removal of obstacles to deportation have shown that the dividing line in migration policy is not always between the coalition and the opposition. While at the first reading in the plenary session of the Bundestag on Thursday, the CDU/CSU at least praised the extended detention on departure and the Left Party welcomed the simplified naturalization process, Green Party politician Filiz Polat called for improvements to both bills.

With its reform of the citizenship law, the federal government wants to make Germany more attractive for skilled workers and recognize the lifetime achievements of the so-called guest worker generation. The aim is to show that Germany is a liberal democracy and not a "blood-and-soil community", said Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP).

In future, immigrants should be able to become citizens after just five years of residence in Germany. Previously, they had to live in the country for at least eight years. If they perform well at school or at work, have good language skills or are involved in voluntary work, naturalization should be possible after just three years. Anyone who wants a German passport should no longer have to give up their old one. This already applies to EU citizens and some special cases, but not to people from Turkey, for example.

The planned reform would make it possible for more people to settle in Germany without having to abandon their roots, said Dirk Wiese, deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group.

Often only a small pension

Polat was visibly moved by the memory of Mevlüde Genc. The Turkish-born woman, who lost two daughters, two granddaughters and a niece in an arson attack on her house in Solingen by neo-Nazis in 1993, became German in 1995.

Written German exams and a naturalization test are to be waived for older people who came to the country as workers via state recruitment agreements. They only have to prove that they can communicate in German in everyday life without any significant problems. The requirement to fully support themselves should not apply to these people. Women from this group in particular often only receive a small pension due to many years of employment in the low-wage sector. Polat said that other people "who have become unemployed through no fault of their own" should also be considered in further discussions.

CDU: "Citizenship devaluation law"

Alexander Throm (CDU), spokesperson for domestic policy in the CDU parliamentary group, spoke of a "citizenship revaluation law". For foreign skilled workers, rapid naturalization was not essential. More important, he said, were speedy visa procedures, rapid family reunification and support in finding accommodation.

MPs from the Ampel coalition emphasized that the draft provides for regulations to prevent racists and anti-Semites from being naturalized. Gökay Akbulut (Left Party) said: "I don't find such tests of conviction very helpful." A clear stance against anti-Semitism and racism is important, but this should apply equally to Germans and non-Germans. In general, however, her parliamentary group believes it is good that "citizenship law is finally to be reformed".

Measures for more deportations

Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser campaigned for the planned simplification of deportation procedures. The SPD politician said that anyone who is required to leave the country must also leave Germany. She said: "The constitutional state must not allow itself to be danced around on its nose." Polat criticized that the draft for a "repatriation improvement law" included measures that represented an "encroachment on basic fundamental rights". Her parliamentary group therefore wanted to carefully examine whether this was justified. FDP interior politician Stephan Thomae, on the other hand, said that this was a reform with a sense of proportion.

The plan should ensure that deportations no longer fail so often at the last minute, for example because the people concerned cannot be found. The maximum duration of detention pending deportation is to be extended from the current 10 to 28 days. There are also plans to extend the powers of the authorities, for example allowing representatives of the authorities in shared accommodation to enter rooms other than the deportee's room. It should also be possible to expel smugglers more quickly.

CDU interior politician Christoph de Vries said that it was to be welcomed that the traffic light government was now making initial efforts to remove obstacles to deportation. However, these were not enough. It would be even more important to regain control over who enters the country.

In 2021 and 2022, there were around 12,000 deportations per year. The draft bill states that it is assumed that around 600 more people who are required to leave the country could be deported each year as a result of the stricter regulations. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there were 250,749 deportees in Germany at the end of October. This included 201,084 people who had a tolerated stay, i.e. a temporary suspension of deportation. Reasons for a tolerated stay can include illness or a lack of identity documents.

The proposed law shows that the coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP has bowed to "social pressure from the right", criticized Clara Bünger (Left Party). Bernd Baumann (AfD) said that detention for less than six months "does nothing".