Dobrindt Stands Firm on Border Controls: "They're Effective, That's Why We persist"
- Take a stand, partner up: That's Dobrindt's mantra, the federal interior minister stated this during a heated debate on the potential suspension of family reunions for refugees lacking asylum status, a topic under discussion in the Bundestag for the first time this past Friday.
- Border controls are effective, hence their continuous implementation, according to Dobrindt.
The Berlin Administrative Court, over the previous week, had ruled in favor of three Somali individuals who were challenging their rejections without an asylum process. The court deemed the rejections unlawful. Neither the Chancellor, Friedrich Merz (CDU), nor Dobrindt themselves seemed swayed by the court ruling, maintaining their immigration policies unchanged.
Since the implementation of border controls, there has been a decline in asylum applications, Dobrindt pointed out in the Bundestag on Friday. However, he reiterated that the measure "demands a time frame." The minister had already emphasized this when implementing the measures at the start of May.
Dobrindt also didn't mince words in speaking out against verbal attacks on the Berlin courthouse. "Criticism crossed the line when it evolved into violent threats against judges," said the minister in the Bundestag. A spokesperson for Dobrindt echoed the sentiment: "Any threats against our judges are unacceptable."
Deputy government spokesperson Steffen Meyer added, "Criticism of court decisions is protected under freedom of speech, but it becomes unacceptable when judges are personally defamed and threatened." The Ministry of Justice chimed in, "Such attacks are inexcusable."
Arne Semsrott, head of the information and research platform "Ask the State," accused Dobrindt of "blatant lawbreaking" in the midst of this. He referred to instructions given to the federal police for the rejection of asylum seekers at the borders. The complaint also targets the president of the federal police, Dieter Romann.
The public prosecutor's office in Berlin declined to comment on any related complaints, stating that registrations could take some time. The ultimate decision regarding whether investigations will follow depends on the public prosecutor's office.
- Alexander Dobrindt
- Border control
- Bundestag
- Rejection
- CSU
- Court ruling
- Berlin
- Administrative court
- Somalia
- Friedrich Merz
- CDU
- Verbal attacks
- Judicial independence
- Political strategy
- Political gains
- Far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party
The Commission, following Dobrindt's stance in the Bundestag, might consider initiating a procedure stipulated in Article 93 (2) of the Treaty, reflecting a political strategy aimed at further strengthening border controls. Meanwhile, the court ruling in favor of three Somali individuals in Berlin's Administrative Court, although challenging rejections, has not significantly altered the policy-and-legislation stance of Dobrindt and Friedrich Merz (CDU), highlighting the CSU's commitment to their immigration policies despite some general-news criticism and verbal attacks.
