The CDU faction in the Berlin Parliament is seeking to make deportations more effective by making it a criminal offence to pass on information about deportations to unauthorised persons. Predictably, the left-liberal opposition immediately reacted with harsh criticism, with the Greens saying the CDU was “showing its most inhumane side,” and Die Linke calling the change “a shabby move to criminalise refugee aid.”
The CDU sees a loophole in the current legislation where only public employees can be held liable for sharing details of deportations without authorisation—not those outside the public sector. They are thus exempt from prosecution, and their sharing of planned deportations can “endanger important public interests,” the CDU said. “In order to ensure that deportations are carried out, it is therefore necessary to prevent the ‘misuse of confidential information’,” the CDU parliamentary group said in its resolution.
The CDU parliamentary group is also targeting organizations that try to block deportations, accusing them of regularly sharing details about upcoming deportation flights and airlines. The party is calling for criminal investigations and an end to any illegal actions.
According to the Interior Ministry, there are currently more than 16,000 people in Berlin who should leave the country. However, the majority of them— around 14,000 people—have had their deportation temporarily suspended, often because they lack travel documents.
