Criticism of Schuster's Asylum Plan — Minister Defends the Proposal

Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) is facing criticism for his proposals to tighten asylum policies. Instead of the individual right to asylum, the CDU politician is advocating for a quota-based solution. Parts of the opposition in the state parliament accused him of undermining the fundamental right to asylum. The Saxon Ministry of the Interior clarified that the issue is not about abolishing the fundamental right to asylum. “Granting protection to those facing political persecution remains an unshakable ethical and historical obligation for Germany,” Schuster told the German Press Agency.

Schuster: Asylum “up to a flexible upper limit”

“Asylum must remain enshrined in the Basic Law as an institution and a national objective, but it will be granted within the framework of protection quotas up to a flexible upper limit, just as is practiced in Canada, Austria, and Denmark,” the minister explained regarding his proposal.

Linking the granting of asylum to the reception capacity of cities and municipalities is part of Schuster’s four-point plan. In addition, an amendment to the European Convention on Human Rights is intended to facilitate the deportation of criminals. In the future, rejected asylum seekers should be subject to so-called “detention for the purpose of enforcing departure.”

Hesse’s Interior Minister reacts cautiously

Schuster’s proposal initially met with little response within his own party’s ranks. Hesse’s Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) merely agreed with his counterpart and party colleague that the goal of reversing migration trends had not yet been achieved. “However, I am hesitant to introduce demands into the current debate that involve fundamental changes, such as an amendment to the Basic Law or the European Convention on Human Rights. In my assessment, these are not feasible in either the short or medium term,” he emphasized. 

According to Poseck, there is no constitutional majority in sight in the Bundestag to support such changes. The focus should now be on measures that can be implemented quickly in practice and under the law. As an example, he cited the use of cell phone tracking to locate individuals required to leave the country who have gone into hiding and the consistent enforcement of the Return Regulation.

Widespread Criticism of Schuster’s Remarks

Criticism of Schuster’s proposals followed immediately. The Federal Government’s Commissioner for Integration, Natalie Pawlik, said that recurring debates about abolishing the fundamental right to asylum only fuel right-wing resentment. “I expect the Saxon Minister of the Interior not to get carried away by populist debates about fundamental rights.”

Human rights should not be made dependent on the prevailing political climate or become a “political bargaining chip,” said the SPD politician. “The acute strain on many municipalities regarding housing has noticeably eased by now. Asylum figures have been steadily declining since the end of 2023. What our cities and municipalities really need is support in integrating the people coming to us locally, as well as a functioning and fully funded integration infrastructure.”

Green Party Caucus Chair: It Shakes Me

Schuster’s proposals also drew sharp criticism from parts of the opposition in the state parliament. “Anyone who faces persecution, torture, death, or other serious dangers upon return needs protection,” said Ronny Kupke, state and parliamentary group leader of the BSW. Decisions on this entitlement must be made on a case-by-case basis, but an exhausted quota must not be used to turn away people in acute danger.

The Green Party parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, Franziska Schubert, described Schuster’s remarks as unworthy and shameful for a CDU interior minister. “The fundamental right to asylum is a humanitarian achievement of civilization. I am appalled by such proposals,” she said, according to a statement. “Amending the European Convention on Human Rights—from Saxony? What absurd remarks!”

Susanne Schaper, chair of the Left Party’s parliamentary group, called on Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) to rein in his interior minister. She said he should make it clear to Schuster that his job is to protect the constitution, not to call it into question.

Discussion on quotas and caps is not new

A quota system or a cap on refugees had also been called for in the past by representatives of the Union parties. In January 2016, the then-Bavarian Minister-President and CSU leader Horst Seehofer called for an upper limit of no more than 200,000 refugees per year for Germany. Saxony’s Minister-President Kretschmer had advocated in 2024—the year of the state election in Saxony—for an upper limit of 50,000 or 60,000 refugees annually.