Berlin [Germany], October 26: Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday signed off on a draft law that aims to speed up deportation procedures.
The main objective of the bill, brought forward by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, is to reduce the number of deportations that fail at the last moment.
It provides for an extension of the maximum duration someone can be held in detention ahead of their departure from 10 to 28 days.
The plans also include tougher measures against smugglers and an extension of the authorities' powers.
Under the new law, the authorities would be allowed to enter the rooms of third parties in order to search for those who are to be deported. In some circumstances, authorities would no longer be required to announce deportations in advance.
The Cabinet also aims to be able to deport members of criminal organizations more easily in future. Flats are to be searched for data storage devices and documents in order to clarify the identity and nationality of those concerned, according to the bill.
In order to relieve the burden on authorities, residence in Germany during the asylum procedure is to be authorized for six months instead of the current three months.
Some members of the Green Party are critical of the plans.
FilizPolat, a Green member of parliament, told dpa that the parliamentary group would raise "constitutional and European law concerns" in the loweer house, the Bundestag.
She spoke of "disproportionate encroachments on the fundamental rights to freedom, inviolability of the home and privacy." Faeser stressed that all three parties of the coalition government approved the law: "The Greens were also sitting at the table." The coalition is led by Faeser's Social Democrats (SPD), with the Greens, and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) as junior coalition partner.
Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock, Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Agriculture Minister CemÖzdemir and Environment Minister Steffi Lemke - all Green Party members - had all co-approved the bill, Faeser said.
Prior to that, there had been a lot of wrangling about "which are the best ways to be able to effectively push back irregular migration on the one hand, and on the other hand, of course, to do justice to [Germany's] humanitarian responsibility," Faeser said.
Source: Qatar Tribune