Improvement Act is scheduled
to be passed in the Bundestag tomorrow, Thursday. It includes stricter regulations for deportations and detention pending deportation, as well as restrictions on social and healthcare benefits for refugees. The children's rights organization terre des hommes criticizes the legislation, arguing that it will severely endanger the well-being of refugee children.
Among other things, immigration authorities and the police are to be granted far-reaching powers in deportations, enabling them to carry out unannounced nighttime deportations. "Families with children could, in the future, be dragged from their beds by the police in the middle of the night and deported without warning. This can be deeply traumatizing and is a clear violation of the principle of the child's best interests," said Sophia Eckert, migration expert at terre des hommes .
At the same time, the maximum duration of asylum seeker benefits is to be increased from 18 to 36 months. During this time, social and healthcare services are severely restricted. "All children, regardless of who they are or where they come from, have a right to adequate healthcare, participation in society, and a dignified minimum standard of living. The Asylum Seekers' Benefits Act clearly violates these rights. We are appalled that the federal government is doubling the duration of benefits instead of finally abolishing the inhumane special social welfare law for refugees," criticizes Sophia Eckert regarding the new regulations.
While the federal government acknowledges that it will generally not place children in deportation detention, it also states that detention of minors will be possible in exceptional cases. The regulations regarding mandatory legal representation during deportation detention are also being revised. "No child belongs in deportation detention. It is intolerable that the federal government is keeping a loophole open to allow for detention in exceptional cases," says Eckert. "Mandatory legal counsel in deportation detention is a milestone that will significantly strengthen the rights of those affected in this dark area of immigration law." However, this in no way outweighs the massive tightening of the legislative package."