German Interior Minister Nancy Pfizer has promised to increase penalties for people traffickers as the next step against illegal migration, after the cabinet approved measures that simplify the deportation of migrants without the right to stay, TVP World reported.
Politicians in Germany, known for its open-door policy during the 2015 migration crisis, have begun looking for ways to curb illegal migration as a way to win over voters ahead of next year's elections and as migrant numbers surge. In the first seven months of the year, the number of first-time asylum seekers increased by nearly 80%. The Federal Police reported that 70,753 cases of illegal entry into the country were registered from January to August.
Many have paid human traffickers to reach Europe and crossed borders on their journey, with countries across the continent looking for ways to crack down on criminals who make money off people fleeing war and poverty .
In a report this month, Germany's federal police said that in 2022, border police suspected about 18,000 people of smuggling into Germany, a 10 percent jump year-on-year.
"I want us to increase the minimum and maximum sentences for traffickers, especially in cases of violent acts," Pfizer said on October 25, noting the deadly crash of a migrant van in southern Germany this month.
Current rules recommend sentences of three months to 10 years for traffickers, with the term increasing to one to 15 years for death or violence.
Feiser did not elaborate on what the proposed new guidelines would be. She expressed hope that the cabinet will be able to consider the matter early next month.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also stressed the need to speed up deportations, saying there were "too many" migrants arriving in Germany at the moment, and heads of state urged the federal government to act as they warned they did not have enough resources to handle so many people.
The measures also extend the detention time for people awaiting deportation from 10 to 28 days, make it easier to deport members of criminal organizations and crack down on violations of entry and residence bans. /BGNES
