Germany plans to send migrant children to reception centres in Morocco

Plan tallies with Merkel's wider strategy to accelerate removal of irregular migrants from Germany

In a controversial move, Germany is considering plans to open two reception centres in Morocco for repatriated children. According to a leaked document of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees cited by a German newspaper, the centres would have space to receive 200 Moroccan minors and would be run in collaboration with Moroccan non-governmental organisations.

The conditions under which these reception centres would operate have not been specified in detail. But the aim appears to be to allow the government to deport minors without breaching German immigration law. The German Residence Act specifies that