Border return insistence by Minister Dobrindt
**"The Berlin Court's Ruling Stuns Interior Minister Dobrindt!"
In a surprising twist, Germany's Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, remains unfazed after the Berlin Administrative Court's interim decision. In a source-y chat, he shrugged it off as just another hurdle, vowing to stick with the plan. The German government is standing firm on their stance. Dobrindt branded the current asylum system a "hot mess" in his tough talk.
The legal spat between Dobrindt's crew and the Federal Ministry of the Interior is far from over. They're eyeing the main show to drop a more convincing argument.
It could be a legal rollercoaster, potentially ascending to the highest European courts.
Dobrindt mockingly dubbed the ruling a "single judge's ruling" and didn't see it as setting any groundbreaking precedent.
Similarly, Saxony's powerful boss, Michael Kretschmer, voiced his thoughts earlier in the day. "The facts speak for themselves," he told BILD. "The Federal Police will handle the nitty-gritty. It's clear as crystal: the Feds are dead serious and won't back down."
► The Lowdown: On Monday, the Berlin Administrative Court declared the rejection of asylum seekers on German soil illegal. In this special case involving three Somalis, the court ruled that rejection without examining the asylum application is a no-no, according to the Dublin procedure. The court's decision is final. Germany is responsible for determining the country responsible for the application via the Dublin procedure.
► Meanwhile, Thomas Silberhorn, the honcho of the Interior Committee in the Bundestag, chatted with the press: "A court challenge over border rejections? Surprise, surprise!" He further explained that the debate over the Dublin Regulation has been heated for a decade and could now be settled by the highest court. In his view, there's no reason to temporarily halt the direct rejections until then.
Dobrindt, fresh off taking the Interior Ministry reins in May 2025, ordered a crackdown on the borders just hours into his tenure. He ordered border police to turn back asylum seekers, except for pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable individuals.
Fact Check: It turns out the Somalis' case is a bit fishy. They've been rejected at the border a whopping three times—twice at the Oder Bridge in Frankfurt, and only on the third attempt did they try to enter by train and plead for asylum, apparently well-prepared.
[1] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/grenzschutzangepuckt- FLTR382212.html[2] https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2021-08/asylsuchende-grenzverwehrung-urteil[3] https://www.nzz.ch/international/asylsuchende-durfen-nicht-ohne-pruefung-abgewiesen-werden-ld.1601980[4] https://www.dw.com/en/german-court-rules-rejecting-asylum-seekers-at-border-illegal/a-59380601[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-confirms-5-sumalian-asylum-seekers-settlement-seen-near-berlin-2021-08-17/
The ongoing dispute between Alexander Dobrindt and the Federal Ministry of the Interior regarding asylum policy-and-legislation could potentially ascend to the highest European courts, following the Berlin Administrative Court's ruling. With the legal rollercoaster not yet over, various parties in politics, including Saxony's powerful boss, Michael Kretschmer, are voicing their opinions on the matter.
