(de-news.net) – As the Federal Government prepares to review Syrian protection status, CDU politicians are calling for more debate on migration, increased Frontex powers, and stricter asylum regulations. Government officials are citing a decrease in asylum applications and fewer unauthorized border crossings as proof of a tangible change in immigration policy.
Following the AfD’s recent electoral gains in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Hesse Minister President Boris Rhein (CDU) has argued that Chancellor and CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s debate over changes to Germany’s urban environment should continue and produce concrete policy responses. Rhein said Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) was addressing migration-related issues effectively, but stressed that the broader migration challenge remained unresolved. In particular, he identified immigration into the welfare system and crime involving immigrants as issues that should be discussed openly rather than excluded from political debate. At the same time, Rhein rejected the AfD’s concept of “remigration,” arguing that the CDU should address the underlying policy questions through its own solutions.
Interior Minister Dobrindt is seeking broader powers for Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, as European governments consider how to respond to migration-related crises and facilitate returns. At a meeting of European interior ministers in Munich, Dobrindt called for the agency’s mandate to be expanded in crisis situations and in the implementation of migrant returns. He also supported the creation of a rapid-response force capable of reacting quickly to exceptional situations such as the late-July events in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Dobrindt backed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal for a new EU crisis-response framework, while 17 European interior ministers and EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner took part in the Munich discussions.
Frontex has meanwhile reported a substantial decline in unauthorized crossings at the European Union’s external borders. During the first eight months of the year, the agency recorded about 75,000 such crossings, 35 percent fewer than during the corresponding period a year earlier. According to Frontex, the reduction was recorded across most major migration routes and was associated with continued cooperation with partner countries as well as preventive measures in key countries of origin. The figures form part of a broader decline in asylum and irregular-migration indicators reported in Germany and at the European level, although the contribution of individual policy measures remains a matter of political and analytical debate.
Saxony Interior Minister proposes overhaul of Germany’s asylum system
In Saxony, Interior Minister Armin Schuster has proposed a fundamental change to Germany’s asylum system as part of a four-point plan. The CDU politician wants the individual constitutional right to asylum replaced by annual quotas, with the capacity of cities and municipalities becoming a central criterion for determining the scale of future admissions. Schuster intends to use the recent decline in asylum applications as part of the case for opening a new debate and plans to discuss his proposals with the Federal Interior Ministry and counterparts from other states. His initiative would represent a significant departure from the current individual-rights framework.
The proposed changes extend beyond admissions. Schuster’s plan includes measures to facilitate the enforced departure of rejected asylum seekers, changes to protections under the European Convention on Human Rights in cases involving offenders, and stricter conditions for naturalization. He has also called for the reversal of expedited naturalization procedures, arguing that integration should precede citizenship. The proposal has already prompted criticism from opposition parties in Saxony, while its broader implications would involve both German constitutional law and European human-rights obligations.
Government prepares protection reviews amid steep drop in asylum claims
The Federal Government is also preparing broader reviews of protection status for Syrian nationals. According to CDU lawmaker Alexander Throm, Dobrindt plans to instruct the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees this fall to begin reviewing whether existing protection should be withdrawn, with initial attention reportedly directed toward young, single men receiving welfare benefits. Syrians who are employed, including doctors and caregivers, could instead have the option of switching to employment-based residence permits. Alongside the reviews, the Government plans to strengthen incentives for voluntary returns. The 2027 budget already provides for additional funding, while the current return payment is 1,000 euros per adult.
Germany has also recorded a marked decline in first-time asylum applications during September. By 25 September, 3,345 applications had been registered, according to figures cited from the Federal Interior Ministry, compared with 9,126 in September 2025 and 18,113 in September 2024. That represents a decline of about 55 percent from the previous year and approximately 80 percent compared with 2024. The figure is the lowest reported for September since 2012, according to the report.
Dobrindt has attributed the decline to the Federal Government’s stricter migration policies, presenting the figures as evidence that its approach is reducing migration and easing pressure on municipalities. Independent assessments, however, have noted that the decline in asylum applications predates some of the Government’s recent measures and that the precise contribution of individual policies is difficult to isolate. Official data show a substantial year-on-year reduction in applications during the first half of 2026, while analysts have cautioned against attributing the entire decline to domestic policy alone.
