Discord and Delay in New German Government's Migration Policy

Germany’s new government has pledged to curb illegal immigration, primarily by strengthening border controls and refusing entry to migrants without residence permits — even if their intention is to apply for asylum. In practice, however, the policy is faltering.

Federal police officers check border traffic at the Germany-Czechia border (Photo: DPA Picture-Alliance/AFP/Robert Michael)

New German Coalition is Not United

Even though the new government has only been in force for a month, there already appears to be disagreement on the issue of rejecting asylum-seekers at Germany's borders, also within its own ranks.

Matthias Miersch, the parliamentary group leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), which is the junior coalition partner of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's so-called "grand coalition," said that such summary rejections would not be sustainable.

His comments came after an administrative court in Berlin ruled in favor of three Sudanese asylum seekers remaining in Germany in what Miersch believes will prove to be only the first of a slew of court proceedings to ensue should the government carry on pursuing this particular course.

In my view, there will no longer be such blanket rejections because the courts will stop this,

Miersch told the weekly Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper, adding that "otherwise, [the government] will lose more such court cases in the coming months."

While this particular court decree in Berlin only applies to the case of the three Sudanese individuals, Miersch believes that higher courts and appellate procedures could establish further precedents that would render the current policy null and void.

The Berlin court had specifically ruled that without clarifying which EU state is indeed responsible for a particular asylum application, no asylum applicant should be rejected, citing Section 18, Paragraph 2 of the German Asylum Act, which states that entry to Germany may only be refused if there are indications that another state is responsible for conducting the asylum procedure.

Since the prosecution had not produced any evidence to this end, the court had to side with the plaintiffs, the verdict said. Meanwhile, the ruling by the Berlin court is not legally contestable but is only binding in the case of the three Sudanese nationals. It cannot be applied as case law as part of other proceedings.

Merz Blames Migration for Rise in Anti-Semitism in Germany

Friedrich Merz has described the sudden surge in anti-Semitism in Germany as a “terrible challenge” for the country. In an interview with Fox News, the German chancellor blamed migrants for the increase in antisemitic incidents.

"Frankly, we have imported antisemitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz blamed the rise in antisemitism on migrants, calling it a "terrible challenge" for the country. https://t.co/VA8sqOfA7f pic.twitter.com/rKf9W9LthE

— DW News (@dwnews) June 6, 2025

We are doing everything we can to bring these numbers down,

he told the American Fox News channel in a recent interview.

According to a report, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany nearly doubled in 2024, with 8,627 acts of violence, vandalism, and threats against Jews recorded. Anti-Semitic attacks came from all segments of society – from the radical left, Muslim communities, and the far right alike. The report found that the number of anti-Semitic incidents with a far-right background has risen to its highest level since data collection began in 2020.

Frankly, we have imported anti-Semitism with the big numbers of migrants we have within the last 10 years,

the chancellor declared.

Merz has previously employed the rhetoric of “imported anti-Semitism”, a phrase critics argue fuels Islamophobia and enables Germany to overlook the issue of rising antisemitism within broader society

Cover photo: Federal police officers check border traffic at the Germany-Czechia border (Photo: DPA Picture-Alliance/AFP/Robert Michael)