In Germany, the fatal knife attack by a 28-year-old Afghan in Aschaffenburg has once again sparked an asylum debate. As a possible chancellor, CDU leader Friedrich Merz wants to impose a “de facto entry ban” on illegal immigrants – without compromise, regardless of who governs with him. And that on the very first day.
Merz called for drastic measures after the fatal knife attack in Aschaffenburg. “If I am elected Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, on the first day of my term of office I will instruct the Federal Ministry of the Interior, using the directive power of the Chancellor, to permanently control the German state borders with all possible resources. from our neighbors and to reject all attempts at illegal entry without exception.”
Merz like Trump
With his statements, Merz is reminiscent of the new American President Donald Trump, who declared a state of emergency at the border with Mexico on the first day of his term of office.
Because European rules did not work, he would give national law priority if he won the elections. The rejection “explicitly also applies to people who are entitled to protection,” the CDU chairman said in Berlin on Thursday.
Merz: Take people who have to leave the country into custody
The German Christian Democrat also called for mass deportation of people forced to leave the country. The federal government can no longer leave deportations up to the states alone. “The federal government must also make available as quickly as possible all available properties, such as vacant barracks and other buildings, container buildings on closed sites, to significantly increase the number of places in deportation detention.”
Candidate for chancellor wants to change right of residence
It is unacceptable that there are only 750 places available, even though there are 42,000 people who are “forced to leave the country” and another 180,000 people who are forced to leave the country but are tolerated in Germany. He did not say how many people Merz would like to place in immigration custody. The right of residence should be changed so that any criminal and dangerous person required to leave the country can be placed in permanent immigration detention.
The German federal police must also be able to issue arrest warrants when arresting people who need to leave the country. Merz justified his demands by saying that he did not want to accept that these attacks in Mannheim, Solingen and Aschaffenburg would become the new normal in Germany.
Unlike Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Merz did not speak of an act of terror, but rather of an attack by a drug-addicted, mentally disturbed man. The 28-year-old man from Afghanistan killed a child and a man and seriously injured several people.
Merz also emphasized that the Union would only enter into a coalition with parties that support these demands. “I don’t care at all who follows this path politically,” he said when asked whether he would rule out a black-green coalition. “I’m just saying: I won’t go any other way. Anyone who wants to join me must follow these five points. Compromises in this area are no longer possible.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
