- Woidke voiced criticisms towards the interior minister during discussions on deportations.
Following the assault in Solingen, SPD's Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke distanced himself from Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in the discussion about expulsions. Woidke considered his party colleague's appeal to the states for enhanced expulsions as "out of place". "It doesn't serve a purpose to point fingers at one another. Everyone is expected to contribute," Woidke told "Tagesspiegel". He couldn't perceive any improvement in the federal law for faster removals. "Germany's migration policy of the past decade ought to be put on trial."
Parliamentary session called
On a Friday, three lives were lost, and eight were injured due to a man wielding a knife at a city festival in Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia. The alleged offender, a 26-year-old Syrian, has since been detained. The individual was due to be expelled to Bulgaria last year but was not.
Brandenburg's Parliament will convene for a special session at the request of the AfD parliamentary group on Thursday, to deliberate on the incident's repercussions. The discussion on repercussions coincides with the election campaign: A new Parliament will be elected in Brandenburg on September 22.
Faeser pins blame on states
Faeser holds the states accountable for more consistent expulsion of those liable for expulsion. "Legally, we have already laid the groundwork for more departures, so that those liable for expulsion can no longer avoid deportation," the SPD politician told the Funke media group. "The crucial factor for success is the implementation of the new powers and regulations at the local level in the states."
The Bundestag tightened laws at the start of the year to facilitate expulsions. The maximum term of detention for departure was extended from 10 to 28 days. Officers may also enter additional rooms in communal accommodations, along with the room of the individual to be expelled.
Interior Minister blasts federal law
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU), who heads the Interior Ministers' Conference, once more voiced his criticism of the federal government. The law designed to speed up expulsions makes it even more challenging in practice to expel those liable for expulsion, Stübgen told "Tagesspiegel".
"We require deportation agreements with countries of origin, long-term checks at our borders, and diplomatic contacts with Syria and Afghanistan," said Stübgen. "However, it's crucial that no one is permitted entry into our country at the German borders who comes from a safe third country."
Approximately 780 departures in 2024
According to the Interior Ministry, over 4,000 foreigners in Brandenburg are required to leave the country, but most cannot be expelled. Last year, around 780 individuals departed-predominantly voluntarily. In the first half of 2024, there were approximately 450. At the same time, however, ten times as many individuals arrived, the minister lamented.
FDP state chairman Zyon Braun accused the red-black-green state government of hindering stricter regulations at the federal level. "The state government has consistently obstructed the expansion of safe countries of origin to the Maghreb states in the Bundesrat," he criticized as an example.
The special session in Brandenburg's Parliament could potentially include discussions about strengthening security measures at public events like city festivals, aiming to prevent such tragedies from happening again at future parties. Despite Faeser's calls for more consistent expulsions, SPD's Dietmar Woidke suggested that everyone, including the federal government, should contribute to addressing the issue.
