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Dossier: Security in the asylum procedure ,
Exchange between security authorities ,
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees as part of Germany’s security architecture
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees is an important pillar of Germany’s security architecture, a framework of actors, instruments and measures to safeguard public security. In areas relating to foreigners, the Federal Office is an elementary source of information for identifying criminals, victims and witnesses in various criminal areas such as human trafficking, extremism and identity fraud.
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Based on statutory requirements, the actors and measures for safeguarding public security in Germany need to interlock like cogwheels.
Source: BAMF
The Asylum Act and Residence Act include aspects involving the prevention of threats to public security. As the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees is responsible for the asylum procedure in Germany, it has security-relevant knowledge and experience, for instance in examining documents. Refugees or foreigners who pose a threat to the Federal Republic of Germany or to public security need to be identified as promptly as possible. That is why the Federal Office forms an important interface between German security authorities and law enforcement authorities and cooperates with them in the spirit of partnership. Federal and Land authorities thus share information with each other in accordance with the law. In doing so, they support each other in investigating and prosecuting crimes and in protecting witnesses and victims. The Federal Office is also the federal competence centre in the field of "Islamist (de-)radicalisation" and plays a central role in this field between state and non-state de-radicalisation work, prevention and security authorities' threat prevention.
Inter-agency centres
As part of its statutory tasks, the Federal Office is active in the area of security at the inter-agency centres including the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre (GTAZ), the Joint Centre for Countering Extremism and Terrorism (GETZ) and the Joint Centre for Illegal Migration Analysis and Policy (GASIM). These centres are not independent authorities, but serve as communication and cooperation platforms for the targeted exchange between authorities, the swifter pooling of information and more effective analysis and coordination.
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German authorities, such as the Federal Office, are involved in the field of security in inter-agency centres such as GTAZ, GETZ and GASIM, and use these platforms for the reciprocal exchange of information.
Source: BAMF
- GTAZ: The Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre (GTAZ) was established in Berlin in 2004 to ensure a rapid and direct exchange of information between all relevant actors in a bid to improve operations in the fight against Islamist terrorism. GTAZ pools the expertise of around 40 German security authorities. This also includes the Federal Office in the area of foreigners law and the right of residence as well as de-radicalisation. On the basis of Section 75 no. 11 of the Residence Act, among other things, the Federal Office participates in the exchange of information in various working groups of the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre, thereby making an important contribution to safeguarding public security.
- GETZ: Modelling the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre (GTAZ), the Joint Centre for Countering Extremism and Terrorism (GETZ) was established in Cologne in 2012. It is the communication platform of the security authorities at federal and state level for combating right-wing, left-wing and foreigners’ extremism and terrorism as well as counterintelligence.
- GASIM: The Joint Centre for Illegal Migration Analysis and Policy (Gemeinsame Analyse- und Strategiezentrum illegale Migration (GASIM)), as a permanent inter-agency cooperation platform, is tasked with enabling the holistic analysis and evaluation of the phenomenon of irregular migration. The findings of the authorities involved are compiled and evaluated at GASIM. The Federal Police (BPOL), the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Customs Administration work very closely with the Financial Control Section of the Federal Customs Administration (FKS) at GASIM. The latter is based at the Federal Police Headquarters in Potsdam.
Expertise in the area of establishing identity in demand
Establishing identity is a key element of the asylum procedure as well as of the work of all security authorities. The Federal Office examines and evaluates the authenticity of documents presented in the asylum procedure. To this end, the Federal Office employs, inter alia, specially trained document experts at a physical-technical document examination (PTU) unit using a three-stage examination system. The Federal Office is the authority in Germany that examines a very large number of different civil status documents from all over the world and can demonstrate a correspondingly high level of expertise in this field. The Federal Office also works hand in hand with other authorities in the area of document examination.
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At the unit for the physical and technical examination of documents, the Federal Office checks the authenticity of documents presented in the asylum procedure
Source: BAMF
- If the suspicion of counterfeiting firms up during the examination procedure, the document in question is confiscated and an examination report is sent to the competent Land Criminal Police Office.
- If suspicion of counterfeiting is ruled out in the examination procedure, the relevant document is sent to the competent foreigners authority which return it to the document holder.
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A: If the examination shows that a document is forged, a test report is sent to the competent Land Criminal Police Office (LKA). B: If the examination shows that a document is authentic, it is sent to the competent foreigners authority. The document is then returned to the document holder.
Source: BAMF
Since the establishment of identities is so important for the work of all security authorities, the Federal Office liaises closely with the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police in order to further develop the document authentication system in the Federal Republic of Germany in strategic and conceptual terms. For instance, the Federal Office regularly draws up reports and analyses on specific questions relating to document examination and forwards them to the document examination laboratories of the law enforcement and security authorities of the Federal Government and the Länder. In addition, the Federal Office's profound expertise in the international field is regularly incorporated into the manuals of the EU border control agency Frontex in order to support the work of border guards in other EU Member States.
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In order to further develop the document examination system in the Federal Republic of Germany in strategic and conceptual terms, the Federal Office liaises closely with the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police.
Source: BAMF
Fighting crime together
The Federal Office's cooperation with its partner authorities includes combating various forms of crime such as organised crime, clan crime, general crime, human trafficking, smuggling, illegal migration, identity fraud, narcotics crime, Islamist extremism and terrorism, politically motivated crime, extremism against foreigners and espionage.
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The Federal Office cooperates closely with its partner authorities in many areas.
Source: BAMF
Conclusion
The areas of activity undertaken by the Federal Office are wide-ranging and also include security tasks. Since migration and security have to be considered and dealt with holistically, the cooperation of all actors and authorities involved is crucial for a well-functioning migration system as well as for safeguarding public security.