- Hesse exhibits cautious optimism towards migration discussions
The federal state representative at today's migration gathering in Berlin, Hesse's Interior Minister Roman Poseck, showed some cautious optimism prior to the event. "The democratic majority is under strain to act," stated the Christian Democrat. "The current proposals from the traffic light coalition are nowhere near sufficient. We require a significant shift in migration policy. The emphasis should be on restricting refugee entry."
It's already too late, he argued, to take action only when refugees are already in Germany. "Otherwise, the burden on the state and society won't change," declared Poseck.
Poseck was surprised that the term "border" was absent from the traffic light government's documents. From the Union's standpoint, multiple proposals aimed at strengthening border control and limiting refugee access will be presented during the discussions in Berlin. "I'm relying on the political center's ability to collaborate and resolve the migration issue," mentioned Poseck, "but the traffic light coalition needs to make a move today."
Poseck also pointed out that Syria, amongst other countries, should be listed as a safe country of origin for deportations. According to a ruling by the Higher Administrative Court in Münster, refugees from Syria no longer need "subsidiary protection" in Germany since civil war has largely ceased in significant portions of the country.
Hesse's head of government Boris Rhein (CDU), chairman of the conference of minister presidents, had previously urged for a shift in migration policy. He suggested rejections at borders, more safe countries of origin, asylum procedures in third countries, as well as the possibility of deportation to Afghanistan and Syria. Citizenship should be revoked for criminals and dangerous individuals, and deportation and detention options should be expanded, Rhein added.
Numerous federal ministers are participating in today's migration meeting in Berlin, including Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP), and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) for the federal government. The states are represented by Hesse's Interior Minister Poseck for the Union, while Lower Saxony represents the SPD side.
The Union plans to propose several measures to strengthen border control and limit refugee access during the discussions in Berlin, as mentioned by Poseck. In response to the current proposals from the traffic light coalition, Poseck criticized that they are not sufficient and called for a significant shift in migration policy, saying that "The Commission's proposal for addressing migration needs to reflect this shift."
