Germany has announced plans to introduce asylum seeker holding centres across the country, to accelerate deportations of unsuccessful asylum applicants.
The introduction of asylum seeker holding centres, where migrants would be sent to await deportation following an unsuccessful application for asylum, would significantly ameliorate Germany’s refugee process, the government has said.
The move comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel received criticism for her handling of the migrant crisis in 2015 and 2016. During that time, Germany was quick to welcome migrants and took steps to integrate them into local communities across the country.
However, the policy proved unpopular and brewed tension between Germans and asylum seekers, leading to the rise of far right political groups such as Alternativ für Deutschland, who took a strong anti-migrant stance. In response, Merkel is now attempting to reform Germany’s asylum system after narrowly securing victory in general elections late last year.
How will the new policy work?
According to The Guardian, the country will establish a number of so-called ‘anchor’ centres, which is a shortened form of ‘arrival, decision, return’, to hold large groups of people and the authorities ruling on their asylum claims in the same facility.
This will accelerate the processing of claims, the German government has said, while also protecting local communities from potentially dangerous people during application process. However, charities and NGOs representing migrants and refugees have criticised the policy, warning that it will prevent integration and increase anti-migrant sentiment.
What has Germany said about the policy?
Germany’s interior minister, Horst Seehofer welcomed the policy as a tough measure against irregular migration, which would give the government more power to effectively deport unsuccessful asylum applicants. He suggested that local authorities should set up asylum seeker holding centres before the end of the year.
He said: “We all know how difficult it is to deport people without protected status after they have been spread out across the country and put down roots in our cities and communities. In the future the end of an asylum application will coincide with the start of the deportation procedure.”
