The German Bundestag on Friday, June 27th approved a two-year suspension of family reunification rights for migrants who have been granted subsidiary protection status.
The law passed overwhelmingly with 444 votes in favour and 135 against.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (of the governing centre-right CSU party) argued that the suspension is crucial to reducing migration pressures and breaking trafficking networks, estimating that it will deter around 12,000 would-be arrivals annually.
This is not a huge number compared to the fact that more than 250,000 migrants applied for asylum last year in Germany.
The right-wing opposition Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) backed the legislation but warned it doesn’t go far enough. AfD MPs emphasised that it affects only about 10% of so-called refugees, and that the law fails to address the broader migration crisis.
Indeed, the law only affects migrants with subsidiary protection—those who have not been granted asylum status but are given an initial right to stay in Germany for other reasons, such as the threat of torture or the death penalty in their country of origin.
Unsurprisingly, leftist parties fiercely opposed the measure, arguing that keeping families apart causes significant psychological harm and encourages illegal migration routes.
