Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and candidate for German chancellor, called for fundamental changes in Germany's immigration and asylum policies.
He stressed that the deportation of Syrian and Afghan criminals should be a priority, even despite the instability in these countries.
In an interview with the German news agency, Merz said, "We know that Syria and Afghanistan are still very unstable. However, we, in the party, have long believed that deportation to Afghanistan and Syria is possible and necessary, in principle. We will do it."
Emphasising on the need for reforms in Germany's immigration and asylum policies, Merz promised to make significant changes in this area if he wins the elections.
Regarding Syrian refugees, he said bluntly, "I don't want to see members of the Assad militia who have committed heinous crimes in Syria in Germany. These people are collaborators of the Assad regime who may now face trial in Syria, but instead prefer to flee. The clear message should be: We will take you back from our borders immediately."
According to the German Interior Ministry, there are currently about 975,000 Syrians living in the country. Most of them arrived in Germany after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2015. Of those, more than 300,000 have received "subsidiary protection" status, due to the country's civil war.
Merz is in favour of labour migration and opposes the asylum policy. He stressed on the need to distinguish between asylum and labour migration, saying, "Germany has already helped and sheltered many asylum seekers, but the number of asylum seekers living in Germany is now very high and the capacity of cities and communities to accept them has run out. This process can no longer continue."
The German politician has suggested that work immigration and asylum should be examined from the beginning in two separate processes. "Someone who wants to enter Germany or Europe for asylum reasons has to use a different method than someone who wants to work in Germany," he said.
To address labour migration, his party has proposed the creation of a digital agency called Work and Residency.
