Merz Plans 'De Facto Entry Ban' and Permanent Border Controls on First Day as Chancellor

Jan 23, 2025, 10:41 AM

Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has announced plans to implement a 'de facto entry ban' for individuals without valid travel documents on his first day as Chancellor, should he be elected. Merz stated he would use his directive authority to instruct the Federal Ministry of the Interior to permanently control all German borders and reject all attempts at illegal entry. This announcement follows a deadly knife attack in Aschaffenburg by an Afghan asylum seeker, which Merz cited as evidence of a 'completely unrestrained brutality' in Germany. He criticized the current asylum and migration policies, describing them as a 'disaster' over the past decade. Merz's proposals include expanding detention facilities for deportation and increasing daily deportations to exceed the number of illegal entries. He emphasized that he would not compromise on these issues, indicating that a coalition with the Greens or the Social Democrats might not be possible under his leadership.