On October 18, 2024, the German Bundestag approved a comprehensive security package proposed by the ruling coalition, which includes the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The package comprises two main components: one addressing immigration laws and the carrying of weapons, and the other expanding the powers of police and security services to combat terrorist threats more effectively.
The new measures stipulate that asylum seekers who were required to submit their applications in another EU member state under the Dublin Agreement will no longer be entitled to social benefits if their deportation is legally and factually possible. Exceptions will be made for cases involving children.
Refugees temporarily traveling back to their home countries and those convicted of antisemitic or homophobic crimes will also lose their right to protection. Additionally, the legislation aims to facilitate the deportation of individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected.
The package also tightens gun laws, prohibiting the carrying of weapons, including knives, at mass gatherings, with specific exceptions for certain professions. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) emphasized that this measure allows states to impose additional knife bans, which can be enforced without prior cause.
The second part of the approved package allows police and security services to compare biometric data online in specific cases. Facial and voice recognition through automated applications will only be permitted with a court order, requested by the head of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) or their deputy. In emergencies, the BKA chief can issue orders valid for a maximum of three days.
The opposition and humanitarian organizations have criticized the package. The Union parties (CDU/CSU) argued that the measures are insufficient, with CDU spokesman Alexander Throm calling it 'largely ineffective.' The Alternative for Germany (AfD) criticized the immigration policy, while Clara Bünger from the Left Party described the package as 'an ineffective solution to combat extremism and Islamism.'
FDP Vice President Konstantin Kuhle acknowledged the package's shortcomings but deemed it a step in the right direction. Konstantin von Notz, Vice President of the Green parliamentary group, defended the legal changes as reasonable and appropriate, warning that the Union's demands for blanket rejections of migrants at German borders threaten Europe.
Refugee organization Pro Asyl sharply criticized the legal changes, stating, 'This law leads to deliberately induced homelessness and poverty among asylum seekers.'
The legislative changes were prompted by a knife attack with suspected Islamist motives at a city celebration in Solingen on August 23, which resulted in three fatalities and eight injuries. The suspect, a Syrian national, was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria in 2023, but this did not occur for various reasons. Following this attack, the ruling coalition agreed to tighten laws concerning migration and weapon possession, as well as grant greater powers to investigators.