German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that a court ruling that German authorities acted illegally in expelling three Somali asylum seekers could limit his government's crackdown on migration but would not stop it completely, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
He said people would continue to be turned back at the German border. A Berlin administrative court ruled yesterday that the expulsion of three Somalis who were sent back to Poland after arriving at a train station in eastern Germany was unlawful.
The court said the asylum application should have been processed by Germany under the European Union's Dublin regulation, which determines which country is responsible for examining an application.
The decision is a setback for Merz's government, which won federal elections in February after campaigning on promises to crack down on migration that has caused concern in neighboring countries, Reuters notes.
The court's decision "probably further limits the room for maneuver here," Merz said. "But there is still room for action. We know that we can still return people," he added. "Of course, we will do this within the framework of European law, but we will also do it to protect public safety and order in our country and to ease the burden on cities and municipalities," he said.
Migration is among the biggest concerns of German voters, and discontent with the influx of new migrants contributed to the rise in popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which came in second place in February's election.
This is a big change from the "welcome" policy during Europe's migrant crisis in 2015 under Chancellor Angela Merkel. In May, Merz's government issued an order to turn away undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, at Germany's borders. Yesterday's decision was seen by critics as proof that Merz's migration policy is not working.
"The administrative court has ruled that (Interior Minister Alexander) Dobrind's policy of rejecting asylum seekers is illegal, contrary to European law, and now the Interior Ministry really needs to start thinking about how to finally put an end to this nonsense," Karl Kopp of the rights group "Pro Asyl" told Reuters. Dobrind supported the expulsions, saying he would provide the court with a justification for the entry ban.