German politician Jens Spahn, of the Christian Democrat Party (CDU), has given a controversial interview calling for harsh measures against illegal migration.
Spahn is a former federal minister under then-chancellor Angela Merkel and a member of the CDU’s Presidium responsible for executing the resolutions of the federal executive committee. Talking to daily news outlet The Pioneer, he was highly critical of current Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Spahn called for “irregular migration movements” to be stopped “by physical force” if necessary. “The decisive key is not repatriation, but the restriction of irregular migration.”
In Berliner Morgenpost he reiterated this statement.
Irreguläre Migration muss spürbar begrenzt werden. Sonst wird unser Land überlastet. Dazu gehören auch Zurückweisungen an den Grenzen. Und wie bei einer Passkontrolle am Flughafen gilt: wer keine Einreiseerlaubnis hat, muss mit Staatsgewalt aufgehalten werden können.…
— Jens Spahn (@jensspahn) October 24, 2023
“If we want to restrict, we have to prevent entry, that’s a given. And part of that, as with passport control at the airport, is that if in doubt, you are also physically detained without an entry permit.”
The criticism comes after Scholz said Germany needed to start deporting migrants who do not have the right to stay in the country “on a large scale”.
“We must finally deport on a large scale those who have no right to stay in Germany,” he said, adding: “We must deport more and faster.”
Scholz was slammed for this on the Left, which claimed such a move went too far. Now Spahn has attacked him from the Right, saying it was not enough.
According to Spahn, Scholz’s new-found interest in curbing migration is insufficient and incomplete.
First and foremost, he said, limiting irregular migration at the EU’s external borders should be a central part of a migration strategy – not deportation.
Regarding the European Union’s external borders, Spahn said: “The border will be closed sooner or later. Whether it will be in five or 15 years, I cannot tell you. But it will happen.”
His rhetoric is a far cry from that of Merkel, who opened the borders of Germany and Europe, with her “Wir schaffen das” (“We can handle this”) policy as a reply to the 2015 migrant crisis.
Since then, millions of migrants from the Third World have arrived in Germany, causing what many see as social upheaval and the breakthrough of the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD).
With the AfD growing in strength, the two main parties of Germany, the Socialists and Christian Democrats, are changing their tune by appearing increasingly critical of migration and associated issues.
@jensspahn, MdB (CDU) und Vize-Fraktionsvorsitzender der Union, hat an Bord der Pioneer One mit @gaborsteingart über #Migration, Pull-Faktoren wie das #Bürgergeld und das Versagen der #Ampel gesprochen. Jetzt hören: https://t.co/WjLbXznroB pic.twitter.com/5L44Sh1zDg
— The Pioneer (@ThePioneerDe) October 24, 2023
