The Bundestag has rejected the bill aimed at tightening immigration regulations.

The amendments revised the law on residency in Germany, which was set to include a provision for the necessity of limiting migration.

The bill stripped individuals receiving subsidiary protection of their right to family reunification. This type of protection is granted to refugees facing serious harm in their country of origin, against which they cannot defend themselves.

The authors explained the measure as a result of the "exhaustion" of the country's integration capacities, taking into account the reception of 1.8 million Ukrainian asylum seekers and refugees. Currently, recipients of protection have the right to bring their spouses and children to Germany.

To implement these measures, the authors proposed granting the Federal Police the authority to restrict the freedom of deported refugees. Currently, decisions regarding placement in deportation prisons must be made by the public prosecutor's office.

The chairperson of the Bundestag session, Petra Pau, announced that the document did not receive a majority of votes in the second reading. According to her information, out of 693 members, 350 voted "against" and five abstained.

Prior to this, support for the document was signaled by deputies from the conservative bloc, AfD, FDP, and the "Alliance of Sahra Wagenknecht."

The SPD and "Alliance 90/The Greens" sharply criticized the document. They expressed concern that voting with the support of AfD could signify the beginning of parliamentary cooperation with this party, which would lead to a departure from the so-called firewall principle that excludes cooperation between parliamentary parties and right-wing populists.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz stated that he "does not care who votes for the right proposal." This sparked outrage in society and the media. Although during the debates the politician ruled out the possibility of cooperating with AfD, it is possible that even members of the CDU/CSU bloc voted against the bill.

Many accuse Merz of straying from democratic principles, populism, and collaboration with the far-right. It is possible that this will impact the development of the election campaign in the Bundestag and Merz's candidacy for the post of Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.