Germany updates: Merz defiant after court blow – DW – 06/03/2025
June 3, 2025 Germany's Merz defends migration plans after legal setback on asylum
Merz said the ruling may narrow his administration's room for maneuver, but there was still wiggle room Image: Thilo Schmuelgen/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has defended his government's effort to turn away asylum seekers at the country's borders, one day after a court blocked the move.
The emergency decision by the Berlin Administrative Court was a blow for Merz, who has promised he will curb irregular migration.
Speaking in Berlin, the chancellor said the ruling may narrow his administration's room for maneuver, but there was still scope. "We know that we can still carry out [border] rejections."
Merz, who took office last month, said his government would "of course do this within the framework of existing European law."
"We will do so in order to protect public safety and order in our country and to prevent cities and municipalities from being overburdened," he added.
Merz stressed that Germany would have to "maintain controls on the internal" until the situation at the European Union's external borders has improved significantly in his view.
Shortly after taking office last month, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt ordered police to beef up border checks and turn away irregular migrants, even if they apply for asylum.
The court ruling on Monday found that three Somalis who were turned back to Poland on May 9 should have been processed under the European Union's Dublin Regulation for asylum cases. The court found that the government's evidence to proclaim a "national emergency" to justify the measure lacked sufficient evidence.
Merz's immigration policies have been repeatedly criticized as violating both German and EU law.
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