(de-news.net) – CDU members have voiced sharp criticism of migration policy proposals put forward by CSU Bundestag members during their traditional winter retreat in Seeon, particularly measures calling for a broad deportation campaign and the repatriation of most Syrian refugees. Dennis Radtke, chairman of the CDU’s labor wing and a member of the European Parliament, questioned the timing of the CSU’s emphasis on migration so close to critical state elections, even as he largely endorsed their substantive objectives. He argued that foregrounding migration risked amplifying the AfD’s core agenda while diverting public attention from pressing domestic and European challenges, including affordable housing, economic growth, social reform, and the future of European integration. In Radtke’s assessment, the federal interior minister had already produced concrete results in migration management, making policy continuity preferable to heightened political dramatization.
Senior SPD officials opposed calls for the wholesale return of Syrians residing in Germany. Sonja Eichwede, deputy head of the parliamentary group, highlighted that many Syrians were well integrated, employed in socially insured and skilled professions, and, in numerous cases, had acquired German citizenship and become firmly established in the country. While acknowledging that individual cases of return must be evaluated on the basis of conditions on the ground as assessed by competent authorities, she emphasized that blanket judgments would undermine the rule of law. Eichwede reaffirmed coalition commitments to repatriate convicted criminals and recognized security threats to Syria, stressing that migration policy must balance humanitarian principles with legal order and warning that symbolic, high-profile action could jeopardize the implementation of agreed European asylum reforms.
SPD integration spokesperson Hakan Demir Nasr similarly rejected the CSU proposals, noting that forced repatriation overlooked ongoing violence and repression in Syria despite the formal end of the civil war. While the SPD supported voluntary returns for those willing to repatriate, it rejected compulsory measures as inconsistent with both humanitarian obligations and security assessments.
By contrast, the CSU parliamentary group indicated a continued commitment to tightening migration policy. Their draft position paper calls for the expedited return of most Syrians on the grounds that protection needs have ceased, alongside a nationwide deportation campaign set to begin in 2026, including removals to Syria and Afghanistan. Additional measures would raise barriers to access the welfare system to deter poverty-driven migration, introduce stricter sanctions against antisemitic or anti-democratic behavior, and revoke residency permits for those seeking to undermine the constitutional order. The paper also proposes a firmer stance toward Ukrainian refugees, urging military-age men to contribute actively to the defense of their homeland.
