Germany passes stricter new asylum rules, signaling a shift in EU immigration policy.

On the afternoon of February 27, 2026, the German Bundestag passed a bill to comprehensively tighten asylum rules with the majority votes of the ruling coalition (CDU/CSU and SPD). The core of this bill is to translate the reform of the Common European Asylum System adopted by the European Union in 2024 into German domestic law. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt called this a crucial step toward bringing order to Europe's dysfunctional migration policy of many years. Green Party lawmaker Lukas Benner considered it the largest tightening of asylum rights since 1993. As the most populous and economically strongest member state of the European Union, Germany's legislation not only shifts the domestic political climate but also drives a systemic rightward turn in migration and asylum policies across the entire EU.

Core of the New Regulations: Border Procedures and Secondary Immigration Centers

Germany's current legislation is the domestic transposition of the EU's reform directive on the Common European Asylum System. The logic of the reform is to shift the asylum screening and interception pressure forward to the EU's external borders. According to the new law, for asylum seekers from countries with low asylum recognition rates (i.e., countries with an EU average asylum approval rate below 20%), Germany will initiate border procedures at international airports and seaports. This means that upon arrival, individuals will be placed in a detention-like status, and their asylum applications will be processed rapidly in border areas; if rejected, they will be directly repatriated from the port of entry, with almost no possibility of entering German territory. This mechanism aims to physically block applicants with low likelihood of success from entering the interior of the Schengen Area.

For immigrants already within the European Union, the new law establishes secondary immigration centers. These centers are used to accommodate asylum seekers who, under the Dublin Regulation, are the responsibility of other EU member states. For example, a Syrian who has already registered in Italy but travels independently to Germany will be placed in such a center, with their freedom of movement strictly limited—only allowed limited outings during the day—with the aim of returning them to Italy after identity verification. The bill also includes provisions for detention during asylum procedures, allowing authorities to detain individuals during identity verification or to prevent absconding. This measure can, under specific circumstances, apply to families and even children. The German government states this is to ensure the efficiency of deportations, while human rights organizations criticize it for turning detention from an exception into a norm.

Political Game and the Rightward Shift of Domestic Consensus

The voting outcome of the bill in the Bundestag outlines the current political spectrum in Germany. The ruling CDU/CSU and SPD cast their votes in favor, forming the center-right to centrist forces driving the legislation. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) voted against it, but their reasoning was that the bill did not tighten restrictions thoroughly enough. AfD MP Maximilian Krah criticized the reform as mere window dressing. On the other hand, the Left Party and the Greens also opposed the bill, but from the opposite perspective. Green MP Lukas Benner warned that the restrictions on the freedom of movement for asylum seekers in the bill are highly problematic from a constitutional standpoint; Left Party MP Clara Bünger accused the government of establishing an inhumane system that treats asylum seekers like criminals.

This opposition from both sides highlights the restrictive consensus formed by mainstream German politics on the immigration issue. Since the 2015 refugee crisis, immigration has continued to divide German society and has become a major driving force behind the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). After the regime change in Syria in 2024, the number of first-time asylum applications from that country began to decline in the fall of 2023: Germany received approximately 230,000 first-time applications in 2024, which dropped to about 113,000 in 2025. Despite the decrease in numbers, public perception of an out-of-control immigration system and political pressure from the right have not subsided. Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and current Chancellor, has repeatedly emphasized the need to restore order in the field of immigration. This legislation reflects the ruling coalition's response to public pressure, its effort to seize the initiative on political issues, and its search for solutions within the European Union framework. The expression of "control, direction, and clear boundaries" by Interior Minister Dobrindt encapsulates this political demand.

Labor market gaps and human rights controversies.

Paradoxically, while tightening asylum procedures, the new bill includes a lenient provision: the time allowed for asylum seekers in Germany to enter the labor market has been shortened from the current six months to three months. This clause was insisted upon by the Social Democratic Party during coalition negotiations. The Federal Employment Agency in Germany can also make exceptional arrangements for residents of initial reception facilities under certain circumstances. This reflects a real dilemma in Germany: on one hand, society demands strict control over immigration inflows, while on the other hand, an aging society faces severe labor shortages, especially in sectors such as nursing, logistics, and catering. The government attempts to draw a line between irregular migration and economically necessary migration, aiming to more thoroughly separate the asylum system from the labor migration system.

However, this carrot-and-stick design has not quelled criticism from the human rights community. In a joint statement, Amnesty International and the German refugee organization Pro Asyl warned that the reforms could lead to fundamental human rights violations. They pointed out that the German government’s draft clearly exceeds the scope mandated by the EU, and that the practices of mass detention and restriction of freedom for asylum seekers violate the basic principles of international human rights law. The statement noted that the new system could bring about deprivation of rights, isolation, and despair, imposed on people who have committed no crime. Although the bill also introduces better medical and psychological support provisions for refugee children, critics argue that this cannot offset the overall harm caused by systemic restrictions.

Redefining European Integration and Sovereignty Transfer

From a broader perspective, Germany's legislation is a crucial step for the European Union toward a common immigration and asylum policy. The old Dublin system stipulated that the first EU member state of entry is responsible for processing asylum applications, which objectively shifted pressure to frontline countries such as Greece and Italy and has nearly become ineffective due to difficulties in enforcing internal returns. The purpose of the new reform is to replace the Dublin system with unified border procedures, an enhanced identity registration database (the Migration Database), and clearer rules on member state responsibilities. It also introduces a solidarity mechanism, allowing member states to voluntarily accept refugees who would otherwise be the responsibility of other countries, aiming to strike a balance between responsibility and solidarity.

Germany's support is crucial for this new system. As the heart of the European Union, Germany's policy choices carry significant demonstrative effects. By translating EU rules into domestic law and implementing measures that are even stricter than EU requirements, Germany sends a clear signal to other member states: cooperation on immigration control within the EU will become closer, and standards will tend to be unified and more stringent. Analysts point out that this may pave the way for Germany to lift temporary border checks with neighboring countries such as Austria and the Czech Republic in the coming months. These checks, repeatedly extended since the 2015 crisis, undermine the principle of free movement within the Schengen Area.

The deadline set by the European Commission is June 12, 2026, by which time the reforms must be fully implemented. Germany's swift action has earned it a proactive position on the EU agenda. This is not merely domestic legislation but a geopolitical gesture, signaling the emergence of a new Europe that prioritizes border security and emphasizes immigration control. Its impact will extend far beyond the halls of the Bundestag in Berlin—from the border forests between Poland and Belarus, to rescue ships in the Mediterranean, and transit camps in North Africa—the logic of Europe's migration governance has been rewritten. The future challenge lies in whether this more efficient and stricter system can find the increasingly elusive balance between controlling borders and upholding the human rights values that Europe claims to champion.