MOSCOW (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova — The German government came under pressure over its open-door policy toward refugees after a series of sexual assaults on women by asylum seekers hit German cities on New Year’s Eve.
"My political party… is highly determined to pass the new legislation as fast as possible," CDU’s Nina Warken said. "I think the new law-making initiative will be on the agenda of the German government within the next two weeks."
German laws currently allow for migrants to be sent back to their origin countries if they have been convicted of a crime that carries a three or more years jail term – and that only when the situation in their country of origin is deemed safe for them to go back.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Thursday that the government wanted to ease deportation barriers in cases when asylum seekers are jailed for violent crimes like bodily harm, homicide, rape, and sexual assault.
