Interior ministers concur on matters concerning Afghanistan
Governing officials from German states are brainstorming methods to safeguard law and order from extremist influences, specifically from radicals hailing from Afghanistan and Syria, at a gathering in Potsdam. This endeavor involves the expulsion of these individuals. The feedback is diverse.
The state Interior Ministers are advocating for the removal of serious offenders and Islamic extremism suspects from Afghanistan and Syria, initiating a fierce discussion. The criticism comes primarily from refugee organizations and the Left, who find deportations to Afghanistan, under Current Taliban rule, incompatible with the Basic Law and international law, with human rights violations being raised as a concern.
The Interior Ministers Conference (IMK) in Potsdam is currently deliberating on asylum and migration policies, prompted by a fatal stabbing incident involving a police officer in Mannheim. Michael Stübgen, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister and the conference chair, emphasized, "We need to defend our legal system from extremist forces of any hue."
The debate also flared up due to the demand from several Interior Ministers to cease offers of social benefits to war refugees from Ukraine. Instead, they aim to facilitate the disbursal of limited payments according to the Asylseekers Benefits Act. Stübgen maintains that social benefits hinder employment opportunities for asylum seekers, gaining support from Baden-Württemberg. Similar suggestions have been put forth by the FDP parliamentary group. However, the federal government and the German City League oppose this proposition.
On Thursday, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser will address her state colleagues regarding her efforts regarding deportations to Afghanistan. Faeser mentioned in an interview with the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" that they are in confident, secretive talks with various countries to enable Afghan deportations. The objective is to consistently deport violent offenders upon their release from prisons in Germany and to consistently exclude and deport Islamic extremism suspects.
The spokesperson for the SPD Interior Ministry heads, Hamburg Senator Andy Grote, expressed optimism during the opening of the minister conference in Potsdam on Thursday evening, that a functional transportation route will be established for deportations, ensuring repatriations. Grote was confident that this would be achievable and that they are currently working diligently to make it happen. Niedersachsen's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens stated, "The legality must be ensured, courts cannot stand in our way."
For his proposal to deport criminals and suspects to Afghanistan and Syria, Grote anticipates widespread support from his colleagues. "I believe we now share a significant consensus on this issue." According to Grote, the national security interests outweigh the protection interests of the criminals. In Hamburg, there are reportedly 18 cases of Afghan criminals who are eligible for deportation.
Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann expressed the need for the federal government to act swiftly and establish the conditions necessary for deportations in Potsdam. North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul also asserted, "Action is required, not just talk." However, he does not regard deportations as the main problem, but rather the need to tightly regulate access for immigrants.
Humanitarian organizations plan to voice their opposition to deportations to Afghanistan in Potsdam on this Thursday. The Left Party faction in the Bundestag also criticized the plans, stating, "Deportations to the Taliban regime mean stoning and whipping. Human rights also apply to criminals, as they are universal."
Several violent incidents involving Afghans have recently came to light. Last Friday evening, police in Wolmirstedt near Magdeburg fatally shot an Afghan who reportedly stabbed a compatriot and injured several people at an EU Championship garden party. In Mannheim, an Afghan fatally stabbed a police officer with a knife on May 31 and injured five members of an Islam-critical movement, Pax Europa.
Saxony-Anhalt's Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang is advocating for an immediate halt to the federal program for accepting endangered persons from Afghanistan. Several states are calling for tighter gun laws and an expansion of gun-free zones as a response to the knife attacks. Faeser has proposed reforming gun laws again. However, some of her proposals face resistance from coalition partner FDP.
Since the takeover by the radical-Islamic Taliban in Kabul in August 2021, Germany has refrained from deporting anyone to Afghanistan. The basis for the decision of the immigration authorities, which manage deportations in cooperation with the Federal Police, is the current situation report of the Foreign Office on the situation in the country of origin.
Read also:
- Despite concerns from refugee organizations and the Left, some Interior Ministers argue that deportations of serious offenders and extremism suspects from Syria and Afghanistan are necessary, citing national security interests over criminal protection.
- The Minister of the Interior for Brandenburg, Michael Stübgen, stated during the Interior Ministers Conference that it's crucial to defend Germany's legal system from extremist forces, including those from Syria and Afghanistan.
- The Taliban's rule in Afghanistan raises human rights concerns, making deportations to the country incompatible with the Basic Law and international law, according to critics.
- Humanitarian organizations have planned to voice their opposition to deportations to Afghanistan, citing the risk of human rights violations under the Taliban regime.
