German Court Deals Blow to Chancellor’s Migrant Crackdown

A Berlin court ruled Tuesday that the German government must resettle an Afghan family currently stranded in Pakistan, a verdict that dealt a blow to conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s promises to severely curb the influx of asylum-seekers entering Germany, Politico reported. 

The case centered on a resettlement program that was specifically designed for Afghans considered at-risk after the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021. 

The program allowed special consideration for those who collaborated with the German military or other organizations in Afghanistan, along with journalists and activists deemed to be at risk from persecution by the Taliban, according to Agence France-Presse. 

When Merz was elected chancellor in May, his administration suspended the program, leaving about 2,400 Afghans – those German authorities had admitted into the resettlement program – stuck in Pakistan waiting for flights to Germany, even as they risked deportation. 

Pakistan began deporting thousands of Afghans promised resettlement in the West earlier this year. 

The plaintiffs in the case were an Afghan family, including a woman who worked as a law professor and as a deputy head of Afghanistan’s election commission before the Taliban’s return. 

The family was approved to resettle in Germany under the program in 2023 but has been stuck in Pakistan since then. 

In its ruling, the court said the German government “has legally bound itself through final, unrevoked admission commitments,” adding that the family had “made a credible case that they were threatened with deportation from Pakistan to Afghanistan, where they would face danger to life and limb.” 

The court said that, while Germany had the right “to decide whether and under what conditions the admission program for Afghan nationals will be continued,” and that it could “abstain from new approvals during this decision process,” the government “cannot release itself” from approvals already issued.  

German officials told Politico they are reviewing the case.  

Meanwhile, other Afghans are challenging Germany’s suspension of the resettlement program, and more rulings are expected. 

Merz, ahead of the election, promised to crack down on migrants and refugees to win over some voters from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.  

However, analysts say Merz can expect more setbacks regarding his immigration crackdown as the courts have already ruled on some of his attempts to tighten the border.  

Last month, for example, a court ruled that the German government’s attempt to reject asylum-seekers at the border is illegal, noted Deutsche Welle.