German interior ministers demand changes after Aschaffenburg attack
Interior ministers of Germany's 16 states called on Monday for changes in how the psychologically ill are dealt with following a fatal knife attack in Aschaffenburg in Bavaria last week.
Potential criminals needed to be identified at an early stage and there had to be better exchange of information between government bodies, Ulrich Mäurer, interior minister of the city-state of Bremen and current head of the conference of interior ministers, said.
Protecting the population needed to take priority over data protection, Mäurer said after the extraordinary conference, which was conducted online.
Investigators should be given additional facial recognition powers and allowed to analyse data with artificial intelligence, he said.
"There is of course no ultimate security, and we cannot make a record of everyone, but we are convinced that more can be done in this area," Mäurer said.
The extraordinary conference was called after a 2-year-old child and a 41-year-old man were killed in a park in Aschaffenburg on Wednesday. A 28-year-old failed Afghan asylum-seeker has been arrested in connection with the murders.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is to address parliament on the incident on Wednesday. The stabbings have caused outrage in Germany and provoked heated debate on migration ahead of parliamentary elections on February 23.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Advocates organizing to support immigrant families
( — Experts and advocates like immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb and First 5 California's Executive Director, Jackie Wong are telling Fox 40 how they are re-doubling efforts to support California immigrant families. Wong says that First 5 California started supporting migrant families fairly recently. 'A few years ago, when there was an Afghan refugee and asylee issue the California Children and Families Commission (First 5) decided to actually get involved in immigration because it was such a prevalent part of our lives,' says Wong 'We want to promote inclusion and really create the safe, stable, nurturing environment that is necessary for Californians to thrive.' Within the last five years they've been building up their resources and network to better support immigrant communities. One of the partners they've been working with to better equip immigrant families is immigration attorney Andrew Newcomb. Newcomb has a decade of experience in immigration law. He currently offers pro bono services to migrant families in the San Jose Mexican consulate while also hosting community workshops with First 5. We sat down with Newcomb for a Q&A for him to answer some of the most pressing questions when it comes to immigration. Here is some of his legal advice. Q: What does someone do if they are detained by ICE agents? A: 'It's best, of course, to not divulge information. You can just save those arguments for a judge that you're hearing, invoke your right to remain silent, and to speak with counsel,' said Newcomb. Q: What can someone working to obtain citizenship do if their family is of mixed status and their child is about to turn 21? A: 'There's a difference between people that came in typically with a visa or people that can benefit from a family petition prior to April 30, 2001. They can usually apply for residency here in the United States, whereas other folks may have to do a longer line which ultimately leads them to a consular office in their country of origin,' said Newcomb. Newcomb also clarified that there are defenses to deportation that are available for people who can prove they've lived in the U.S. for at least ten years and have immediate relatives who have lawful status. Q: Is someone's asylum hearing or application for citizenship different if they entered the country within the last two years? A: 'Yes. So this is basically an issue where they've expanded the definition of what constitutes an 'arriving alien' for the purposes of a process called expedited removal. When someone's in an expedited removal proceeding, they don't necessarily have the right to have their hearing heard before an immigration judge.' Newcomb also adding, 'What we're seeing here is that the government attorneys are attempting to have cases dismissed and then right after the cases are dismissed, provided the person can't prove that they've been in the United States for longer than two years, ICE officers are waiting to detain them and place them in expedited removal proceedings. However, even people whose cases have not been dismissed are also being scooped up by ICE agents, which of course creates an issue of overlapping jurisdiction, which still has to be resolved by the courts.' Q: What if someone is trying to obtain status legally, but fears arrest at one of their court hearings? A: 'It's very important for people that have been here for fewer than two years to take advantage of filing a motion to appear via video or filing a motion to continue your hearing until you're on the outside of those two years. Immigration judges here in Sacramento, just like in the Bay Area, are very receptive to those kinds of motions because at the end of the day, they want to do their jobs as arbiters of fact, and they don't want to have their cases just whisked away from them.' Newcomb says a video court hearing can increase safety while attending asylum proceedings. More resources and services, like the instructional guide to appear in court by video can be found on Newcomb's website, First 5's resources for immigrant and refugee families are available on their website, Other organizations within the Sacramento region include the Sacramento Rapid Response Network. Their 24-hour hotline is (916) 382-0256. Another resource available to migrant families is They feature a collection of videos to educate and empower immigrant communities. An additional resource to help immigrants know their rights is the 'Know Your Rights' red cards. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Terminating Temporary Protected Status for Afghans is an abomination
For the 10,000 Afghan refugees who have made the U.S. home after fleeing a growing humanitarian crisis under Taliban rule, the future is no longer even temporarily secure. On May 12, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it will terminate Afghanistan's designation for Temporary Protected Status, effective July 14, devastating not only its beneficiaries but also the communities that have embraced them. This is personal to me. And it should be personal for anyone who believes in standing up to oppression and protecting those most at risk. Created in 1990, Temporary Protected Status provides individuals from countries facing armed conflict, environmental disaster or other extraordinary conditions, with legal status and work authorization for renewable 18-month periods. Applicants undergo thorough background checks to be eligible for and maintain their status. They are not admitted if they are felons, have several misdemeanors, or fail to meet the other requirements for the program, as outlined by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status has served as an incredibly effective legal pathway for refugees fleeing various large-scale conflicts to find safety while helping to strengthen American communities and our economy. The Biden administration redesignated Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status in the fall of 2023 for good reason. The Taliban's return had brought with it renewed political repression, severe economic collapse and destruction of fundamental rights, especially for women and girls. None of that has changed. Yet now, DHS has announced protections will be stripped away in a few short weeks. Moreover, the Trump administration's recent travel ban, which includes Afghanistan, adds further confusion, chaos, and contradiction to this decision. When lifting Afghanistan's Temporary Protected Status designation, the administration cited Afghanistan's security and economic improvements as a reason for doing so. However, when implementing the travel ban, the administration noted security issues and a lack of 'appropriate screening and vetting measures' as justification. This is more than a policy misstep. It is a moral failure. President Trump, who rightfully criticized his predecessor for his chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan as 'the most embarrassing event in the history of our country,' is effectively sending families back into the grip of a Taliban regime sanctioned by his administration as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. This issue hits me particularly close to home. Decades ago, I served in Iran through the Peace Corps and later as the press attaché at the embassy in Tehran, where I was held hostage for 444 days. Despite this trauma, I returned to the region after 9/11 to work on the Afghan Education Project, coordinated by Teachers College, Columbia University. For three years, I worked to modify the school curriculum to erase Taliban-imposed propaganda and foster a more open, free and democratic society. During that time, I became close with my driver and occasional translator, Shamgul. Without him, the work could not have happened, and my own safety would have been at greater risk. He helped keep me and many others safe as we moved through Kabul and beyond. We considered each other family. After the Taliban regained power, I tried desperately to get officials in Washington to bring him and his two sons to America, but failed, and Shamgul was murdered by the Taliban for having worked with us. Families that did make it to America are now being abandoned and told they must return to danger and perhaps a similar fate. This must not happen. The program was created to prevent this scenario. It offers stability, safety and the chance to contribute. And it works. Afghan Temporary Protected Status holders contribute $296 million to the U.S. economy annually, and the program remains popular among voters. According to a joint poll by the SEIU and 66 percent of voters in battleground states support using the program as an effective legal pathway for protection from deportation and for work authorization. The Trump administration's decision to remove Afghanistan's designation and subsequent travel ban is a betrayal of American values. I have spent my life on the front lines of the U.S. mission to advance democracy, human rights, peace and security. I strongly encourage the current administration to live up to these ideals and protect innocent Afghans seeking refuge. The moral test of a nation is how it treats those with the least power. Right now, we are failing that test. Barry Rosen is a veteran of the Peace Corps, survivor of the Iran Hostage Crisis and a co-founder of Hostage Aid Worldwide. He worked with UNICEF in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2005.
New York Post
19 hours ago
- New York Post
Biden admin evacuated 55 Afghans on terror watchlist to US during botched withdrawal: DOJ watchdog
US officials encountered 55 Afghan evacuees on the terrorist watchlist after the Biden administration's chaotic 2021 withdrawal from the Middle Eastern country, according to a Justice Department inspector general report. The report, released Tuesday, confirmed longstanding suspicions from Republican lawmakers that the Biden administration failed to properly vet US-bound refugees as the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. 'I've sounded the alarm about the need to thoroughly vet Afghan evacuee applicants since August 2021,' Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement, reacting to the DOJ IG report. 'The Biden-Harris administration, my Democrat colleagues in Congress and many in the media were quick to dismiss glaring red flags that a nonpartisan national security analysis now confirms.' 3 Grassley charged that the Biden administration endangered the lives of Americans by allowing improperly vetted Afghan refugees into the US. AP The FBI's Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) identified 55 Afghans that were either already on the terrorist watchlist and made it to a US port of entry or were added to the database during the evacuation and resettlement process, the report found. Of those, at least 21 were added to the terror list after they had already entered the US. After investigations, the FBI eventually removed 46 evacuees from the watchlist, determining that they posed no threat to the homeland. However, nine remained in the terror database as of July 2024 and eight were in the US. 'As if it wasn't already obvious, the Biden-Harris administration endangered American lives by allowing suspected terrorists to enter the United States and roam free for years,' Grassley argued, noting that his 'oversight of this matter will continue.' Roughly 90,000 Afghans were allowed entry into the US and became eligible for Special immigrant Visas under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Refuge (OAR) and Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) programs, which provided the foreign nationals immigration processing and resettlement support. 'According to the FBI, the need to immediately evacuate Afghans overtook the normal processes required to determine whether individuals attempting to enter the United States pose a threat to national security, which increased the risk that bad actors could try to exploit the expedited evacuation,' the DOJ IG report stated. Despite the 55 individuals flagged, the DOJ inspector general determined that overall 'each of the responsible elements of the FBI effectively communicated and addressed any potential national security risks identified.' 3 The Biden administration hastily evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans as the country fell to the Taliban in 2021. AFP via Getty Images 3 As of July 2024, eight Afghans on the FBI's terror watchlist were still in the United States. AP Last October, the DOJ charged an Afghan national brought into the US during the chaotic withdrawal with plotting an ISIS-inspired Election Day terror attack. Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, was living in Oklahoma City on a Special Immigrant Visa as he took steps to stockpile AK-47 rifles and ammunition to carry out an attack on US soil 'in the name of ISIS,' according to the Justice Department. Tawhedi entered the US on Sept. 9, 2021, just weeks after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan and the last US troops departed from the war-torn nation. Tawhedi was charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and is currently awaiting trial.
