BERLIN, Germany - Migrants who are “violent” and do not have any work must be expelled from Germany, Jens Spahn, a German lawmaker and the leadership member of the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on Tuesday.
“ A violent person who has a residence permit must be expelled. They must leave Germany,” he told Rudaw, adding that "Those who have been granted subsidiary protection and do not have jobs and receive state financial aid (social welfare) must leave Germany.”
Spahn said in December that integrated Syrians migrants can stay in Germany but others should leave the country, proposing the payment of 1,000 euros to each Syrian migrant willing to return to their country.
Angela Merkel, former Chancellor of Germany who was also the leader of the CDU, opened Germany's doors particularly to Syrian asylum seekers, but now the party has introduced a bill to parliament seeking the deportation of those migrants whose residence permits have been rejected, those who commit violence, and even includes Syrians who have subsidiary
The following is the full transcript of the interview with Spahn.
Rudaw: Mr. Jens Spahn, thank you for this opportunity. Your party wants to tighten immigration policy. What exactly do you mean by the five-point plan?
Spahn: First, we need to know what kind of immigration we are talking about. We want immigrants for the labor market. We are happy with those who have come to Germany in past years and decades; they are part of German society. For many years, they have been working normally, are cooperative, and learn the language. We are designing Germany's future together. What is being discussed now is illegal and irregular immigration. Some people who come in easily, mostly young men. We do not know why and for what purpose, from day one they receive social welfare benefits. We see this is a burden for society, schools, and municipalities. It is also a security risk. Solingen, Mannheim, Magdeburg, and now very badly Aschaffenburg, where a two-year-old child was stabbed and killed. We want to end this kind of illegal immigration.
I want you to tell me about this five-point bill that you want to take to Parliament. The liberal party, FDP, has decided to vote for it, other parties reject it, but the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party wants to vote for it. How important is this for you?
First, these five points discuss that now we need to return people very quickly at the German border and say this is the limit. Very quickly look at where the criminal immigrants are, who have multiple deportation orders against them, yet freely move around in Germany. You cannot explain this to the parents of a two-year-old child when someone who has no right to stay in Germany has stabbed their child. So this cannot be explained, and we want to end it. We ask the Social Democratic Party (SPD) , the Greens, and the Liberals (FDP) to join us, so we can solve this problem together as centrist democrats. The majority of Germans, I think not only Germans, the majority of people in the country, those who are wise, those who want a good future for Germany and especially security for their children, this large majority wants to end illegal immigration. The Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens must ask themselves if they do not want to form a majority with us in parliament? We make a proposal because we think it is right. We ask the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Liberals (FDP) to approve it. We cannot not make our proposal just because others might approve it too.
What is your plan for immigrants who came from Syria?
On one hand, it is good that Assad is gone, that dictator, brutal and violent, much more violent than I feared, as we see for example in the prisons. Unprecedented suffering. It is good that he is gone. Now the question is how will the Syrian people and government move forward? At that moment, when there is security and stability (we still have to wait), then there will no longer be grounds for protection. Especially for those who have subsidiary (temporary) protection, which is the legal status, this means they must return to their country. Build their future there in the future. For those who say they want to return to Syria to help, my suggestion is to allow them to go voluntarily, facilitate this, and provide them with financial assistance. At that time, we can certainly say that those who have managed to integrate into the labor market in Germany, have special skills and earn their own living, we can give them the option to stay. Some people might want to return to Syria, even though that person could also stay. And those who have been granted subsidiary protection and do not have jobs and receive state financial aid (social welfare) must leave Germany.
According to polls, your party will become the strongest party, perhaps after February 23, your party leader [Friedrich] Merz might become the Chancellor of Germany. He calls for tightening immigration policy. What exactly is your party's immigration policy, and can you tell me why Kurdish voters should vote for your party?
It seems that most people in Germany, in my opinion, regardless of their origin, want the same things. Good jobs, good wages, good education for their children, a good future, to be able to walk safely in the streets, intelligence and work should make a difference, family values are important. This is the goal of the CDU, the Christian Democratic Union. I think there are many people, whether they have a migration background or not, who want these things and we want to offer this to them. In immigration policy, I feel, for example, I went to Sonnenallee in Berlin-Neukolln after the New Year's Eve riots and there I met many business owners and shopkeepers, visited them and talked to them who have immigrant backgrounds and they say, ‘Mr. Spahn, we also do not want these young people to cause trouble, be violent and make anti-Semitic slogans. We don't want this either, like everyone else, and this is the main point, that we unite together.’ The large majority, all those who say we want to live together in an orderly, sensible, and peaceful way, against those who bring chaos, violence, and anti-Semitism into the country.
In your bill, you demand that immigrants be deported right at the border. Is this legally permissible and can it be implemented?
This can be implemented. The federal police, who guard our borders, say they only need an order to legally implement it. For example, we saw during the European Championship, we did this for six weeks. So if it was possible for six weeks, it is possible for a whole year. Especially no country in the world, including Germany, can be forced to burden itself beyond its capacity. We are at the absolute limit of our capacity. We see this in every school, in every kindergarten, in the housing market, in accepting people. EU law cannot require us to give up on ourselves. Even EU law states that national security and national interests come first. Therefore, yes, we can and will protect the borders.
The AfD wants to vote for your bill, some political experts say this might harm you, aren't you afraid of that?
You know, sometimes in life, one needs to be clear and not resort to tactics, but rather do what is right. A violent person who has a residence permit must be expelled. They must leave Germany.