Germany to Limit Asylum Seekers' Legal Rights in Deportation Push

Reports indicate that Germany is planning to remove the right of rejected asylum seekers to have a lawyer, aiming to expedite deportations. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to eliminate the automatic assignment of legal counsel to asylum seekers facing deportation, including those who have exhausted their appeals.

According to Alexander Thom, a member of parliament from Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU), the German government's objective is to increase the deportation rate, which is currently hindered by legal challenges. He emphasized the importance of making deportations feasible in practice. Thom stated that abolishing mandatory legal counsel is a key component of the Merz government's shift in migration policy. He argued that the previous coalition government's rule, implemented in 2024, complicated the deportation process. However, some experts have cautioned that removing this rule could lead to the unlawful detention of asylum seekers due to a lack of legal oversight. The German refugee rights group, Pro Asyl, has criticized the proposal as undemocratic and potentially unconstitutional.

Since taking office in May, Merz's government has been implementing stricter migration policies. This latest proposal will be presented for a vote in the German parliament. In the same month, Berlin declared its intention to reject asylum seekers at its borders. Furthermore, in July, Germany's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, agreed with other EU members on goals to remove legal obstacles to transferring rejected asylum seekers to centers outside the bloc. Germany, along with Poland, France, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Denmark, also seeks to conduct asylum procedures in third countries. These asylum plans require approval from Brussels. German government data indicates that approximately 70,000 asylum applications were filed between January and July of this year, representing a 50% decrease compared to the same period last year.