Germany Tightens Asylum Rules Amid Immigration Surge

Germany's government announced plans to enforce stricter European asylum rules, including tighter border controls and detaining asylum seekers while verifying their cases through the Eurodac database. These measures aim to return asylum seekers to other EU countries and reflect a growing hardline stance on immigration amid rising numbers of arrivals.

Germany's government announced a new plan on Tuesday to enforce stricter European asylum rules, which will see an increase in individuals being turned away at its borders. This follows Monday's announcement of new controls on all land borders. As part of the proposals, asylum seekers will be detained while authorities use Europe's shared fingerprint database, Eurodac, and other tools to determine whether Germany is responsible for processing their cases, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said during a news conference.

"We want people whose asylum procedure is the responsibility of another EU country to be sent back there," Faeser stated. The measures come in response to a high influx of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Ukraine, posing potential strains on relations with other European states.

Faeser added that Germany will engage with European partners at a high political level to expedite readmissions, ensuring compliance with European rules. However, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized Germany's tighter border controls and called for urgent consultations with other affected countries and more support for Poland's immigration policies.

During a televised debate ahead of Austria's parliamentary election on September 29, Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that if Germany implements these measures, Austria would respond similarly, sending more immigrants eastwards towards the Balkans. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left government had developed the proposals for faster rejections at the borders as part of discussions with the opposition conservatives, who later complained the measures did not go far enough.

The three-party coalition led by Scholz does not require conservative approval to implement the proposals but aims to discuss them with regional governments. Berlin cites the need to address irregular migration to alleviate pressure on public services and protect against potential Islamist extremism threats.

Recent knife attacks by suspects identified as asylum seekers have heightened immigration concerns. In August, three people were killed in Solingen in an incident claimed by the Islamic State group. Mainstream parties are seeking to diminish the influence of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which recently gained significant support.

Despite these measures, Marcus Engler from the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research cautioned that the proposals might have limited impact as asylum seekers may find ways around them, and other EU countries seem unwilling to accept returning asylum seekers.

(With inputs from agencies.)