The German refugee advocacy group Pro Asyl has criticized calls by the general secretary of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), Carsten Linnemann, for stricter residency laws, describing the proposals as both disingenuous and populist.
“The CDU is using dubious and populist demands for deportation to kick-start the election campaign,” Pro Asyl’s legal policy spokeswoman, Wiebke Judith, told the RND media group in comments published on Tuesday.
Linnemann has pushed for strict deportation rules targeting criminals. Speaking on Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio, he argued that individuals committing a second intentional offence should lose their residency rights in Germany, arguing repeat offenders show disregard for the law and should therefore lose their right to remain in the country.
“Such demands may look good on election posters, but they do not stand up to legal scrutiny,” Judith said. She added that international law clearly opposes deportations to countries where detainees could face torture or inhumane living conditions.
The conservative CDU/CSU bloc is polling in first place at above 30% in the run-up to Germany’s February 23 elections, ahead of the far-right AfD on around 18%, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democrats on around 16% and the Greens on around 13%.
