‘The Collapse of Humanity’: German Migration Master Plan Presented

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (Christian Social Union CSU) presented his “Migration Master Plan” in Berlin on Tuesday, aimed at limiting illegal immigration to Germany.

“The less Europe can do in the field of preventing illegal migration, the more important national measures become,” said Horst Seehofer during the presentation of the plan in Berlin. He pointed out that the “Master Plan” is an integral part of changing Germany’s fundamental stance on providing asylum.

“There is no country in the world that can take in all refugees,” Seehofer said. He explained that the guiding thought in drafting the “Migration Master Plan” was to “create a balance” between the willingness to help and Germany’s capacity to accept refugees.

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Among the most important aspects of the “Migration Master Plan” is the establishment of “transit” centers right next to the German-Austrian border, where individuals already registered as refugees or asylum seekers in any EU country would be accommodated. They would be swiftly returned from these centers to the countries where they were first registered.

Seehofer emphasized that no agreement has yet been reached regarding the return of refugees and asylum seekers to their country of initial registration with all countries that could be affected, primarily Italy.

This aspect has led to weeks of disputes within the Christian Democratic Union CDU/CSU and within the coalition government. Angela Merkel insisted that an agreement with European partners should be reached before closing Germany’s borders to already registered refugees, while Seehofer wanted to implement measures immediately.

Further points of the “Migration Master Plan” include measures that would make arriving in Germany and applying for asylum here “less attractive.” This includes reducing social benefits and penalties for those asylum seekers who do not cooperate in processing their cases, for example, by hiding their true identity.

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In the future, asylum seekers would also receive assistance in goods and food instead of cash.

The plan also foresees the establishment of centers for regular asylum seekers where applicants would stay from the beginning to the end of the application review process. These centers would be located outside urban areas.

Humanitarian organizations in Germany have criticized Seehofer’s “Migration Master Plan” as a “collapse of humanity.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes that the plan overly focuses on tightening conditions and creating an atmosphere in which asylum seekers are pushed to the brink of criminality.

“The plan focuses on tightening and strengthening the organization of the asylum recognition process while neglecting the human aspect throughout the process,” stated UNHCR for Germany.