Prominent figures in Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — expected to become the country’s largest party after next month’s elections — have confirmed a policy proposal to deport asylum seekers once they have been convicted of two crimes. However, the rival Alternative for Germany (AfD) has already slammed the proposal as a weak proposal that will do little to stem the crime crisis involving foreigners.
The move is designed to signal a tougher stance on migration policy, with CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann telling WELT TV the country needed to act decisively against criminal offenders with residence permits, advocating changes to Germany’s Residence Act to ensure that committing a crime results in automatic expulsion after a second offense.
“We need to end the cycle of repeat offenders,” Linnemann declared, referencing recent attacks, including the Christmas market massacre last month in Magdeburg, which reignited calls for stricter measures.
Crimes such as theft, assault, drug offenses, and fare evasion on public transport would all count as intentional acts warranting deportation, he added.
Linnemann clarified that these measures would apply to individuals with valid residence permits, not those already obligated to leave the country.
The CDU’s proposed migration overhaul extends beyond criminal deportation. Union Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz echoed Linnemann’s stance, advocating deportation to unstable countries like Syria and Afghanistan. While acknowledging Syria’s instability, Merz argued that exceptions should not shield criminals, including members of the Assad regime or its militias, from being turned back at Germany’s borders.
“We cannot allow Germany to become a safe haven for those who committed atrocities elsewhere,” Merz said, emphasizing the importance of screening migrants at the border. He also criticized the current strain on Germany’s infrastructure, citing overwhelmed municipalities and calling for a separation between labor migration and asylum migration.
The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), however, criticized the CDU’s proposals as political posturing. AfD Chancellor candidate Alice Weidel accused Merz of failing to act despite a potential majority in the Bundestag, highlighting the Union’s refusal to collaborate with the AfD despite its gaining popularity and growing electoral success at the state level and expected gains in February’s federal election.
🇩🇪🔥AfD co-leader Alice Weidel SLAMS Angela Merkel and the CDU party, says she destroyed Germany in powerful 13-minute speech.
“And then came a CDU chancellor (Angela Merkel). Nine years ago, this chancellor wiped away this existing law with the stroke of a pen and established a… pic.twitter.com/EQTXAphgyk
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) September 16, 2024The party also wrote in a statement that the “‘deportation hammer is a CDU smokescreen: With us, criminals won’t even be able to enter the country.”
“The CDU’s push for reform comes amid rising public frustration over migration and growing support for stricter policies, with the AfD gaining traction as an alternative voice. Because with consistently protected borders, we will ensure that the mass import of criminals is already prevented in advance. The CDU would have had the chance to implement such measures a long time ago if it had agreed to corresponding initiatives of the AfD — but it’s just about campaign spectacle, to then coalition with the Greens after the election and leave everything to the old Merkel politics,” the statement read.
The party also raises the question of why the CDU is only waiting to act after the second offene.
“One wonders on what grounds Mr. Linnemann wants to have the right of residence abolished only during the second offense. Why not after the first one? If you don’t adhere to our culture and values and stand out due to your crimes, we can’t use them – and they shouldn’t even come to us. From the CDU, a member of which has been the prime minister in Saxony-Anhalt for more than 20 years, and when, in the last year, only 449 people were deported out of more than 5,000 people ordered to leave, we have nothing to expect for our safety.”
BREAKING: "Only the AfD can save Germany."
Elon Musk announces his support for Germany's AFD party in upcoming elections.
However, it remains unclear what kind of support this could entail, whether free advertising on X or direct funding. pic.twitter.com/jWEpUsaDSI
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) December 20, 2024The anti-mass-migration party has gained notable support from influential voices such as U.S. billionaire Elon Musk in recent times, who recently claimed that the AfD is Germany’s “only chance” to turn the tide on the demographic and cultural change enveloping the country.
