Interior ministry will tell 640 people awaiting sanctuary ‘there is no longer any political interest in their being admitted’

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Hundreds of Afghans previously promised sanctuary in Germany have been told they are no longer welcome, in a stark U-turn by the conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz‪.

The 640 people in Pakistan awaiting resettlement – many of whom worked for the German military during the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan – will no longer be taken in, as Merz’s government axes two programmes introduced by its centre-left-led predecessor.

Merz‪ has taken a harder line on migration to fend off a stiff challenge from the far right.