Slamming the Door on 24,000 Refugees: Union and SPD Agree on a Rough Approach Against Immigrants
EU and SPD endorse fresh strategies for migrant management
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The German Bundestag is set to vote on Friday on a proposal from the CDU, CSU, and SPD parties to temporarily halt family reunification for refugees with subsidiary protection status for the next two years. The Social Democrats, who traditionally lean left, have expressed reservations about this move.
If there was one proposal from the new federal government that had the potential to fracture the just-formed coalition of Union and SPD, it was this: "We will temporarily halt family reunification for those with subsidiary protections for two years." Few other sentences in the coalition agreement have stirred such passionate opposition from the Jusos and older left-leaning SPD members. Before the SPD member survey on the coalition agreement, social democratic critics used this very clause as an argument against the coalition—and yet they lost decisively. About 85% of participants voted for the government under Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. On this Friday morning, the Bundestag will vote on the halting of family reunification.
This vote concerns approximately 1,000 people who are allowed to come to Germany every month—because they are children, spouses, or parents of a person with subsidiary protection status residing in Germany. The majority are from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. Subsidiary protection status holders constitute by far the largest group of legally residing refugees in Germany. They are allowed to stay as long as there is war in their home country or they are threatened with persecution as members of a specific ethnic group.
Politics at the EU Level 🗽️
If they entered Germany as minors, their parents can apply for family reunification. Adults in Germany can bring their minor children and spouses, at least in theory. The 1,000 monthly admissions limit, in place since 2018, far exceeds the demand, although the exact figures are not available.
Access Numbers Decreasing 📉
Additionally, for various reasons, not all affected persons in their countries of origin or in third countries have the opportunity to participate in the application process. Some consulates are reportedly overflowing with applications. Human rights activists suspect political motives behind the lengthy application procedures: Germany is simply hesitant to accept new immigrants. This attitude is now officially guiding the actions of the black-red coalition, as per the coalition agreement, which includes migration control and its "limitation" as goals.
The traffic light coalition had started to significantly reduce access numbers even before this, for example by expanding border controls. The trend continues: In May 2025, first-time asylum applications amounted to around 8,000, representing half the number of the previous year. In May 2023, the number was still around 22,000. Every monthly figure since then demonstrates a significant decrease compared to the respective prior month. Irregular migration is thus on the decline. Now, the black-red coalition is also addressing regular migration. Because the difference is immense: Individuals who migrate through family reunification procedures are subject to scrutiny and arrive with official visas—usually by air travel.
Border Controls Also in the Schengen Zone
The Community and Employment policies, as per the coalition agreement, include migration control and its "limitation" as goals. This suggests a political shift in Germany's approach towards immigration, not just in terms of irregular migration but also regular migration through family reunification procedures.
In response to the proposed halting of family reunification, human rights activists suspect political motives behind the lengthy application procedures, indicating a reluctance towards accepting new immigrants, not just at the national level but potentially at the EU level as well. This attitude is now officially guiding the actions of the black-red coalition, as evidenced by the decrease in access numbers for family reunification, border control expansions, and the vote in the Bundestag on Friday.
