Germany Toughens Asylum Rules

The German Parliament on Thursday night passed a controversial package of stricter rules for asylum seekers, including allowing immigration officials to analyze refugees’ cellphone data. The Bundestag (German Parliament) passed the controversial package on asylum rules, which human rights organizations and opposition parties called an assault on fundamental rights for those seeking protection.

The German government in recent months has brought forward a number of new rules to make deportations easier. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere defended the new package and said it would be the “conclusion of sharpening asylum laws for this legislative period”. Under the law, asylum seekers who do not receive permission to stay in the country and do not leave Germany voluntarily, as well as those who give false information about their identities, will be limited in their freedom of movement. Those deemed to have a small chance of being granted permission to stay may be obligated to remain inside their immigration facility until the end of their asylum process.