Multiple Legal Actions: Foreigners Aiming for Germany's Entry
In a significant shift, Germany's immigration policy under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government has become more restrictive, focusing on enhanced border controls, expedited deportations, and the suspension of refugee resettlement programs. These measures aim to curb illegal immigration and reinforce national security, but have generated substantial legal and ethical controversies.
Key elements of the policy include extended border controls, allowing pushbacks of asylum seekers at the border without valid documentation, a practice contested as potentially violating EU asylum law. Increased deportations target individuals from countries like Afghanistan and Syria, despite international human rights concerns about security conditions in these countries.
The refugee resettlement program was halted in April, leaving many approved refugees stranded in third countries. New legislation also intends to allow the executive branch to classify countries as safe without requiring Bundesrat approval, facilitating quicker asylum rejections for applicants from countries such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and India.
Family reunification for refugees with subsidiary protection has been suspended for two years, limiting migration pathways for vulnerable groups.
Amidst these changes, one lawsuit has emerged in Leipzig, with migrant lawyer Matthias Lehnert accused of acting against the government in its immigration policy. However, no publicly documented case or legal action involving Matthias Lehnert related to migration or immigration policies in Leipzig or at the federal level appeared as of August.
On April 8 of this year, the then Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser announced the suspension of all admission programs to Germany, including the "Resettlement Program" of the United Nations. This suspension affected Africans who were promised admission to Germany by the current government before the UN program ended, including Kenyans, Congolese, and South Sudanese. More than 50 individuals and families are suing the German state over these immigration issues.
Despite these challenges, Germany's commitment to the UN's Resettlement Program, as signed by former Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2012, remains. The program commits the Federal Republic to annually taking in up to 6,500 individuals who are particularly endangered in refugee camps, providing them with a three-year residence permit upon entry. After three years, they are given the opportunity to permanently settle in Germany if they are well integrated. According to UN estimates, there are 29 million refugees worldwide in their reception camps, and one in ten meets the criteria for the resettlement program.
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