Latest news with #Somalis
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
German police fear legal consequences over pushbacks at border
German police have said they are concerned that border officers might face legal problems after a court blocked the government's efforts to turn away asylum seekers at the country's borders. Shortly after taking office last month, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ordered police to step up border checks and turn back irregular migrants, even if they apply for asylum. In the first case to emerge over the controversial move, the Berlin Administrative Court ruled on Monday in favour of three Somalis who were turned back to Poland on May 9, stating that they should have been processed under the European Union's Dublin Regulation for asylum cases. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has defended the policy in light of the ruling. But the chairman of the GdP police union, Andreas Rosskopf, on Wednesday said he was worried about what consequences the court decision would have for officers who continue to turn back people at the border. "Of course, it is an individual case decision for now, but it remains to be said that these are cases that we face every day and therefore there is now a certain amount of uncertainty among colleagues," he told public broadcaster WDR. Police officers are ultimately responsible for their own actions and must answer for them, the union chief noted. Dobrindt had dismissed concerns that officers could be prosecuted for their actions as "completely absured" in earlier comments to public broadcaster ARD. But Rosskopf said he "actually had to disagree to a certain extent." While the minister was right in arguing that police officers were subject to clear instructions in the matter, Rosskopf said: "If it were clear and is clear that this instruction is ultimately unlawful, then police officers must fulfil so-called remonstration duties," meaning they would have to explicitly criticize the order in order to avoid legal responsibility. "We need a written clarification that colleagues are clearly acting on instructions in this uncertain situation and cannot be held personally liable for their actions following legal proceedings in this matter," the union boss explained.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Explainer-Court blow to Germany's new government on asylum: what happens now?
By Thomas Escritt BERLIN (Reuters) -A court ruling that Germany could not simply return to Poland three asylum seekers who entered the country in May dealt a blow to the signature migration policy of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government: turning illegal migrants back at the borders. Here is a closer look at a court case and its consequences: WHAT HAPPENED? Police in May sent back to Poland three Somalis who crossed Germany's eastern border by train and requested asylum. With the help of asylum rights organisation Pro Asyl, they challenged this in a Berlin court. On Monday, a Berlin court issued an emergency injunction saying Germany had broken the law. Under the European Union's so-called Dublin rules - hitherto honoured mainly in the breach - refugees can only claim asylum in the first EU country they enter. The Berlin court said that before sending them back, authorities should have started the "Dublin process" of establishing which country was responsible for assessing their asylum claim, whether or not that was Poland. Germany only has land borders with other EU countries and Switzerland meaning that, in principle, nobody who arrives by land is eligible for asylum in the country. WHY IS THE RULING A PROBLEM FOR THE GOVERNMENT During his election campaign, Merz promised to crack down on migration on his government's first day in office. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, a fellow conservative, announced the policy of returning asylum seekers at the border. Following the ruling, he said the court's decision applied only in this particular case, set no precedent, and that the government would continue turning away asylum seekers crossing the land borders. This is true in a narrow sense: the ruling only applies to the three Somalis and does not bind any other judges. Other judges are bound by the same laws, however, so there is no reason to think they will rule differently. "The German government will lose every single case on this point, all the way up to the European Union's court," migration policy expert Gerald Knaus told Stern magazine. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? While migration is a signature issue for Merz and Dobrindt, their Social Democrat coalition partners are less comfortable with it. Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said in a tight-lipped statement that "the court's ruling must be followed". Legal experts say that, to be successful, German authorities would have to reject migrants before they enter the country's territory - something for which they would need neighbouring countries' cooperation. But Poland is no less racked by migration debates than Germany. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government has just been dealt a heavy blow by Sunday's election victory of a right-wing candidate for whom reducing the number of migrants was a key topic. In the short term, it is likely to be difficult to get neighbouring countries, all of which feel more exposed to migration pressure than Germany, to accede to Dobrindt's demands. DOES THIS MATTER POLITICALLY? Perhaps not. The far-right Alternative for Germany was quick off the mark in condemning the "failure" of the new government's migration policy. But the next major regional election is almost a year away and overall migration levels, initially driven up by the Syrian civil war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have been on a downward trend for several years, independent of any policies adopted by individual EU countries.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Explainer-Court blow to Germany's new government on asylum: what happens now?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang Explainer-Court blow to Germany's new government on asylum: what happens now? BERLIN - A court ruling that Germany could not simply return to Poland three asylum seekers who entered the country in May dealt a blow to the signature migration policy of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government: turning illegal migrants back at the borders. Here is a closer look at a court case and its consequences: WHAT HAPPENED? Police in May sent back to Poland three Somalis who crossed Germany's eastern border by train and requested asylum. With the help of asylum rights organisation Pro Asyl, they challenged this in a Berlin court. On Monday, a Berlin court issued an emergency injunction saying Germany had broken the law. Under the European Union's so-called Dublin rules - hitherto honoured mainly in the breach - refugees can only claim asylum in the first EU country they enter. The Berlin court said that before sending them back, authorities should have started the "Dublin process" of establishing which country was responsible for assessing their asylum claim, whether or not that was Poland. Germany only has land borders with other EU countries and Switzerland meaning that, in principle, nobody who arrives by land is eligible for asylum in the country. WHY IS THE RULING A PROBLEM FOR THE GOVERNMENT During his election campaign, Merz promised to crack down on migration on his government's first day in office. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, a fellow conservative, announced the policy of returning asylum seekers at the border. Following the ruling, he said the court's decision applied only in this particular case, set no precedent, and that the government would continue turning away asylum seekers crossing the land borders. This is true in a narrow sense: the ruling only applies to the three Somalis and does not bind any other judges. Other judges are bound by the same laws, however, so there is no reason to think they will rule differently. "The German government will lose every single case on this point, all the way up to the European Union's court," migration policy expert Gerald Knaus told Stern magazine. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? While migration is a signature issue for Merz and Dobrindt, their Social Democrat coalition partners are less comfortable with it. Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said in a tight-lipped statement that "the court's ruling must be followed". Legal experts say that, to be successful, German authorities would have to reject migrants before they enter the country's territory - something for which they would need neighbouring countries' cooperation. But Poland is no less racked by migration debates than Germany. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government has just been dealt a heavy blow by Sunday's election victory of a right-wing candidate for whom reducing the number of migrants was a key topic. In the short term, it is likely to be difficult to get neighbouring countries, all of which feel more exposed to migration pressure than Germany, to accede to Dobrindt's demands. DOES THIS MATTER POLITICALLY? Perhaps not. The far-right Alternative for Germany was quick off the mark in condemning the "failure" of the new government's migration policy. But the next major regional election is almost a year away and overall migration levels, initially driven up by the Syrian civil war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have been on a downward trend for several years, independent of any policies adopted by individual EU countries. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
2 days ago
- General
- The Star
Explainer-Court blow to Germany's new government on asylum: what happens now?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang BERLIN (Reuters) -A court ruling that Germany could not simply return to Poland three asylum seekers who entered the country in May dealt a blow to the signature migration policy of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government: turning illegal migrants back at the borders. Here is a closer look at a court case and its consequences: WHAT HAPPENED? Police in May sent back to Poland three Somalis who crossed Germany's eastern border by train and requested asylum. With the help of asylum rights organisation Pro Asyl, they challenged this in a Berlin court. On Monday, a Berlin court issued an emergency injunction saying Germany had broken the law. Under the European Union's so-called Dublin rules - hitherto honoured mainly in the breach - refugees can only claim asylum in the first EU country they enter. The Berlin court said that before sending them back, authorities should have started the "Dublin process" of establishing which country was responsible for assessing their asylum claim, whether or not that was Poland. Germany only has land borders with other EU countries and Switzerland meaning that, in principle, nobody who arrives by land is eligible for asylum in the country. WHY IS THE RULING A PROBLEM FOR THE GOVERNMENT During his election campaign, Merz promised to crack down on migration on his government's first day in office. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, a fellow conservative, announced the policy of returning asylum seekers at the border. Following the ruling, he said the court's decision applied only in this particular case, set no precedent, and that the government would continue turning away asylum seekers crossing the land borders. This is true in a narrow sense: the ruling only applies to the three Somalis and does not bind any other judges. Other judges are bound by the same laws, however, so there is no reason to think they will rule differently. "The German government will lose every single case on this point, all the way up to the European Union's court," migration policy expert Gerald Knaus told Stern magazine. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? While migration is a signature issue for Merz and Dobrindt, their Social Democrat coalition partners are less comfortable with it. Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said in a tight-lipped statement that "the court's ruling must be followed". Legal experts say that, to be successful, German authorities would have to reject migrants before they enter the country's territory - something for which they would need neighbouring countries' cooperation. But Poland is no less racked by migration debates than Germany. Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government has just been dealt a heavy blow by Sunday's election victory of a right-wing candidate for whom reducing the number of migrants was a key topic. In the short term, it is likely to be difficult to get neighbouring countries, all of which feel more exposed to migration pressure than Germany, to accede to Dobrindt's demands. DOES THIS MATTER POLITICALLY? Perhaps not. The far-right Alternative for Germany was quick off the mark in condemning the "failure" of the new government's migration policy. But the next major regional election is almost a year away and overall migration levels, initially driven up by the Syrian civil war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have been on a downward trend for several years, independent of any policies adopted by individual EU countries. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt, Editing by Friederike Heine and Alex Richardson)
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Germany's Merz says court ruling will not stop migration crackdown
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday a court ruling that German authorities acted unlawfully when border police expelled three Somali asylum seekers could restrict his government's migration crackdown but would not stop it altogether. People would continue to be turned away at the German border, he said. A Berlin administrative court said on Monday the expulsion of the three unnamed Somalis, who were sent back to Poland after arriving at a train station in eastern Germany, was "unlawful". It said the asylum application should have been processed by Germany under the European Union's so-called Dublin rules that determine which country is responsible for processing a claim. The ruling was a setback for Merz's government, which won a federal election in February after promising a crackdown on migration that has caused concern in neighbouring countries. The court ruling has "possibly further restricted the scope for manoeuvre here," Merz told a local government congress. "But the scope is still there. We know that we can still reject people." "We will, of course, do this within the framework of European law, but we will also do it to protect public safety and order in our country and to relieve the burden on cities and municipalities," he said. Migration is among German voters' biggest concerns and a backlash against an influx of new arrivals has contributed to a rise in the popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which came second in February's election. It is a big shift since Germany's "Refugees Welcome" culture during Europe's migrant crisis in 2015 under Merz's conservative predecessor, Angela Merkel. Merz's government issued an order in May to reject undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, at Germany's borders. Monday's ruling was seized on by critics as evidence that Merz's migration policy was unworkable. "The administrative court has determined that Dobrindt's policy of rejecting asylum seekers is unlawful, contrary to European law, and now the Federal Ministry of the Interior should really start thinking about how to finally put an end to this nonsense," Karl Kopp of the pro-immigration advocacy group Pro Asyl told Reuters. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt defended the expulsions, saying he would provide the court with justifications for banning entry. (Writing by Matthias Williams, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
