Among the proposals are permanent border controls, ending free movement under the Schengen Agreement covering most of Europe, and immediate expulsion of all those attempting to enter without proper documentation. Other provisions include that those under obligation to leave the country after having applications rejected should immediately be detained and that residence restrictions should be imposed on migrants found guilty of a crime. The announcement followed an attack in the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg on Wednesday, in which a 2-year-old boy and an adult man were knifed to death.
A year-old Afghan, whose application to remain in Germany had been rejected, has been arrested in connection with the murders. But he ignited a furore by saying recently that he was willing to accept the support of AfD lawmakers in parliament in order to get his migration motions approved.
Merz has since said that he would rather work with the mainstream parties to get his initiatives passed - but has not disavowed his stance on seeking AfD votes.
The AfD had not received the email, he said. Referring to the mainstream parties, he posted: "We could agree between ourselves over the weekend how we vote next week.
Senior AfD leader Tino Chrupalla expressed outrage at the document's criticism his party. Merz's approach was "either you agree, or I'll vote with the extreme right," Habeck told delegates to a pre-election conference of his party on Sunday to enthusiastic applause.
