Germany approves draft law to intensify crackdown on migrants

By passing two draft bills designed to align national legislation with the EU’s new rules, Germany has taken a step toward implementing the bloc’s major asylum policy overhaul.
The reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS)—adopted in 2024 after years of debate—aims to establish uniform procedures across the EU and reduce pressure on individual member states.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the reform as part of a broader effort to more effectively manage irregular migration, strengthen border controls, and ensure greater solidarity among EU countries. All EU states must implement these measures by June 2026.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet backed the Interior Ministry’s proposals, which will now be debated in parliament.

Dobrindt called the step a “major milestone” in migration policy and stressed that Europe needs an efficient system to limit irregular migration, end the overburdening of national structures, and provide what he called “security through European solidarity.” He also noted that several EU countries are pushing for even stricter measures in the future.

What the German “reform” means

Overall, the package signals a tightening of asylum policy and gives authorities stronger tools to crack down on migrants. It strengthens the role of border and migration officials, imposes new restrictions on how asylum applications are processed, and expands options for deportation and transfers to third countries.

Key changes include:

• Border procedures: All asylum seekers arriving at the EU’s external borders will undergo standard checks, including mandatory identity screening. Applications may be processed directly at border facilities.
• Low recognition cases: Migrants from countries where fewer than 20% of asylum applications are typically approved in the EU may have their entire case handled at the border. If rejected, they could be deported directly.
• Safe third countries: Applicants may be transferred to designated “safe” non-EU countries, where their claims would be processed instead of within the EU.
• Detention and restrictions: The German draft law introduces restrictions on the movement of asylum seekers, and in certain cases allows for their detention.

Human rights criticism

Rights groups have strongly condemned the proposals. The German NGO Pro Asyl warned that refugees, including families with children, could end up in semi-closed facilities resembling detention centers—leading to despair, stress, and depression among already vulnerable people.

Amnesty International criticized what it described as “new forms of de facto detention” and warned that detention should never become a norm, even for rejected asylum seekers.

Save the Children and the German Children’s Fund stressed that detaining minors violates international child rights standards and urged changes to the draft legislation.