Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) has called for a quota-based system to replace the individual right to asylum, a proposal that has met with strong opposition from the BSW, the Left Party, and the Greens. “Anyone who faces persecution, torture, death, or other serious dangers upon return needs protection,” said BSW State Chair Ronny Kupke. Decisions on this entitlement must be made on a case-by-case basis, but an exhausted quota should not be used to turn away people in acute danger. According to Kupke, a quota-based solution is also not the right way to relieve the burden on local municipalities. “Those who are not entitled to protection need a swift decision in accordance with the rule of law. That is how we create clarity for those affected and for the municipalities.” In a four-point plan, Schuster calls for linking the granting of asylum to the reception capacity of cities and municipalities. In general, the CDU politician wants a quota-based solution to replace the individual right to asylum in the future. 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 “detention to enforce departure.” Green Party Caucus Chair Franziska Schubert described Schuster’s remarks as unworthy and shameful for a CDU interior minister. “The fundamental right to asylum is a humanitarian and civilizational achievement. It makes me shudder to hear such proposals,” she said, according to a statement. Schubert also referred to applicable EU and international law. “Amending the European Convention on Human Rights—from Saxony? What absurd remarks!” Given the massive drop in refugee numbers, she said, it is complete nonsense to put such ideas out there. Schubert also criticized the equating of refugees with criminals. The Left Party also made its position clear. “Asylum is a human right. It’s not a quota that can be turned on or off depending on the financial situation,” said Nam Duy Nguyen, spokesperson for the Left Party’s parliamentary group on migration and asylum. Schuster’s proposal is not new. “In 1993, it was called the ‘asylum compromise.’ In 2015, the CDU/CSU already called for a cap of 60,000 to 100,000 applications per year—a measure long deemed unconstitutional by legal scholars.”» The Left Party’s parliamentary group chair, Susanne Schaper, called on Minister President 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. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reservedSchuster Calls for a Quota System and “Detention to Enforce Departure”
Green Party Caucus Chair: “It Shakes Me”
The Left Calls for Kretschmer to Intervene
