German government to tighten up deportations
By
Marianne Arens
19 February 2019
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (Christian Social Union, CSU) has presented a 60-page bill on the deportation of refugees. The bill bears the imprimatur of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) from start to finish. It makes a mockery of democratic principles; it is a document of bureaucratic cruelty and, if passed by the Bundestag, would set a precedent for the suppression of social and political opposition.
The bill aims to get refugees whose asylum applications have been rejected, but who cannot be deported because of war and terror in their homeland or because of lack of paperwork, out of Germany as quickly as possible. It bears the cynical name, “Orderly Return Law,” but could be more appropriately titled, “The Foreigners Out Law.”
At present, there are 236,000 people who have been ordered to leave Germany; 180,000 have a temporary reprieve to stay because they cannot return to their country of origin for various reasons. In the future, they would be treated like criminals and ruthlessly harassed.
Those who do not actively contribute to their own deportation are to be punished! Refugees who are guilty of nothing are to be put in jail. In the Orwellian language of the bill, this is called an “extended preparatory detention.” Insufficient action in the procurement of a passport—which often proves impossible due to non-functioning authorities in the home country—is sufficient to land a refugee behind bars.
According to the draft, refugees would lose their temporary leave to stay status if, in the opinion of the authorities, they do not cooperate sufficiently. For example, they must prove that all identity information is correct—which is often difficult or…