Migration - Traffic light ends dispute over naturalization and deportation
Deportations are to become easier, as are naturalizations: the coalition has reached a compromise on the two corresponding bills after all. This is the result of a brief statement by the SPD, Green and FDP parliamentary groups in the Bundestag.
Both the reform of the citizenship law and the "law to improve repatriation" could therefore be passed by the Bundestag in January. With regard to the two projects, the joint communication refers to a "modern immigration society and the principles of humanity and order".
European asylum system to be reformed
At the same time, representatives of the EU member states and the European Parliament agreed on a comprehensive reform of the European asylum system after years of negotiations in Brussels. The aim is to stem unwanted migration to Europe.
The two projects now agreed upon by the parliamentary groups in the "Ampel" coalition were not put on the Bundestag's agenda for final discussion and voting last week as originally planned. The reason for this was that the Greens in particular wanted improvements, which were rejected by the FDP.
The federal government 's draft bill envisages the following:
- Immigrants should be able to become citizens after just five years of residence in Germany, provided they can support themselves without state assistance. 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.
- If you want a German passport, you should no longer have to give up your old one. This already applies to EU citizens and some special cases, but not to people from Turkey, for example.
The Ampel also wants to simplify procedures to ensure that more people without the right to stay are deported. Up to now, deportations have often failed at the last minute, for example because the people concerned cannot be found.
- For this reason, the maximum duration of detention pending deportation is to be extended from 10 days to 28 days.
- In addition, representatives of the authorities in shared accommodation should also be allowed to enter rooms other than the room of the person being deported.
Naturalization possible via hardship clause
Points of contention in the negotiations between the coalition partners included exceptions to naturalization for the disabled and people who have become unemployed through no fault of their own, as demanded by the Greens and SPD MPs. These people should also be able to be naturalized if they receive social benefits. It was also discussed whether people who are taken into custody pending deportation or custody to leave the country should automatically be provided with a public defender free of charge. The extended permission to enter the country to collect a person being deported also met with criticism from the Greens.
There will be no exceptions to the right to naturalization, according to coalition circles. "But it will still be possible for people with disabilities or other people who find it difficult to earn their own living to be naturalized at their discretion via the hardship clause," said FDP interior politician Ann-Veruschka Jurisch.
In the case of deportations or custody to leave the country, a lawyer should be assigned if there was no legal counsel in the case in question. However, this should only happen once the person concerned has been taken into custody or detention.
Greens: "Painful compromises"
The deputy leader of the Green Party, Konstantin von Notz, admitted: "We had to make painful compromises when reforming the legal regulations on returns, which can also mean new hardships for the people concerned." However, von Notz said that in future, "everyone in such a situation will be provided with expert legal advice", which is essential for improving the rule of law in proceedings. The coalition partners had also agreed to make it legally clear that the rescue of refugees at sea would not be criminalized in the future.
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Source: www.stern.de
