CDU Parliamentary Group Chairman in Lower Saxony Discusses Refugee Crisis Response

Hannover. “We welcome the fact that the federal government is willing to give the federal states another billion to deal with the refugee crisis. This money must be passed on one to one to the municipalities. However, the one-off payment decided yesterday is completely inadequate. The federal government must always support the municipalities with the costs incurred, otherwise local integration cannot succeed. The fact that negotiations are now to be held for months does not help our municipalities,” said the chairman of the CDU parliamentary group in Lower Saxony, Sebastian Lechner.

The country would face extensive tasks after the decisions. The state government must ensure that the apprehending procedures are optimized so that Dublin transfers can take place within the relevant transfer period. Cooperation between the police and the immigration authorities must be further intensified here. The staffing of the administrative courts must also be improved. This is particularly the case with judges. This is the only way that the asylum procedures can actually be accelerated.

“There must be a minimum length of stay in the reception facilities. No one may be distributed to the municipalities if it is clear that the person has no prospect of staying,” says Lechner. A solution is also needed for people whose identity has not been clarified or who have committed a crime. “We already proposed in the last election period that the state take care of these people and that they have to take up residence in the state reception facilities. Unfortunately, the responsible Ministry of the Interior has so far rejected a model project,” says Lechner.

“The digitization of the immigration authorities must also be accelerated in a targeted manner. The State Audit Office recently rightly pointed out failures of the state government in the digitization of administrative activities. The state must support the municipalities more here,” said the parliamentary group leader.

The Lower Saxony building law must be adjusted so that refugee accommodation can be built more quickly. And Lower Saxony must increase the number of places in detention pending deportation as soon as possible, because the violation of entry bans should be an independent reason for detention in the future. “In the interests of the municipalities, the state government must work to ensure that the states and municipalities have a real say in federal admission programs. The Residence Act must be changed here. We have submitted a specific proposal and submitted it to the state parliament,” said Lechner.