In Hamburg, the spring conference of the interior ministers of the federal and state governments began on Tuesday evening. The three-day conference will address, among other things, tougher deportations of criminals, security at football matches, and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
Hamburg, 17 June 2026
The interior ministers of the federal and state governments opened their three-day spring conference at the Congress Center Hamburg (CCH) on Tuesday evening. Topics on the agenda include tougher deportations of criminals, violence surrounding football matches, and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
Even the external circumstances underscored the conference's motto, centered on the focus of "Security": At the CCH venue, there were meticulous entry checks, and a drone no-fly zone had been established over the inner city and the Outer Alster, according to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. Hamburg's Andy Grote (SPD) is hosting his fellow ministers from the federal and state governments at the spring conference.
Tougher Deportations Demanded
Migration and security policy is at the center of the deliberations. Ahead of the meeting, the SPD politician — who, according to RND research, is being considered as Federal Interior Minister — had called for the deportation of refugees who have committed crimes. "We must lower the high legal hurdles for the return of criminals with protected status — regardless of their country of origin," he told RND. Specifically, Grote also spoke out in favor of extending the soon-to-expire protected status for Ukrainian refugees at the European level, but excluding criminals or right-wing extremists from this extension. "I am very much in favor of extending the protected status, which expires in a few months, at the European level, but does this really also have to apply to criminals or, for example, right-wing extremists?" he asked.
In principle, Grote called for a greater balancing of the interest in staying against security concerns. "We must weigh the individual's interest in staying more strongly against the security interest of the population and give greater weight to the latter," said the Hamburg Senator for the Interior. Regarding Syrian refugees, however, Lower Saxony's Daniela Behrens (SPD) cautioned: "A high number of Syrian workers are employed in systemically relevant jobs, with almost half of them working as skilled professionals."
Dispute over Age of Criminal Responsibility
Prior to the conference, calls had come from within the SPD for a tightening of migration policy. According to reports, this is also against the backdrop of the upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the AfD can expect gains according to polls. SPD ministers had recently expressed the desire to discuss security issues also in the context of a possible AfD participation in government.
Gökay Sofuoglu, federal chairman of the Turkish Community in Germany (TGD), called on the interior ministers to pay greater attention to threats against people with a migration background. He misses interior politicians "who are concerned about the safety of people with a migration background in Germany." What is needed is an integration policy that strengthens belonging instead of constantly calling it into question. In view of increasing right-wing violence and the possibility "that a right-wing extremist party could enter government responsibility for the first time," he expressed concern "for our security in Germany, and especially in eastern Germany."
Protected Status for Ukrainians under Review
In addition to migration policy, the conference is addressing violence in connection with football matches. Under the heading "Football without Violence," the ministers intend to discuss violence and the use of pyrotechnics in the vicinity of stadiums. The protection of the power supply and other critical infrastructure, the level of fines for traffic violations, and improvements in civil protection are also on the agenda.
Another contentious issue is lowering the age of criminal responsibility. The German Police Union (DPolG) is calling for the current threshold to be reduced from 14 to 12 years. Heiko Teggatz pointed to an "alarming development in which perpetrators are getting younger and are being deliberately instrumentalized by criminal networks." Lowering the threshold would mean "not blanket punishment; rather, the educational character of juvenile criminal law is paramount." Sanctions such as judicial instructions, warnings, and conditions should "set boundaries for offending children at an early stage." "We must lower this threshold," Teggatz demanded on the eve of the conference. "The rule of law must be able to respond to this."
Focus on Violence around Football
Stefanie Hubig (SPD), on the other hand, rejects lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 12. Children do not belong in prison, and criminal law is not a panacea. The TGD also warned against rash action. From the ranks of the CDU, it was said such a debate was considered unnecessary; it is also not on the agenda.
Also on the agenda is the growing number of children coming to attention as suspects in serious violent crimes. This directly touches on the discussion about the age of criminal responsibility. The DPolG also sees a duty here for the Federal Criminal Police Office and the youth welfare offices to take early countermeasures.
Critical Infrastructure and Civil Protection
Another major topic is the cooperation between the Bundeswehr and aid organizations in crisis and disaster situations. Both sides have been pushing for years for better preparation — also for the case of tension and defense. "Until now, this close cooperation has only been envisaged for the case of tension and defense," according to the RND report. It makes clear "that we can no longer separate external and internal security as we did in the past." The IMK intends to deliberate on this, including on the protection of critical infrastructure.
The spring conference of the interior ministers (IMK) is a regular meeting of the department heads from the federal and state governments. It takes place twice a year and addresses current issues of internal security, migration policy, and disaster protection. This year's spring conference runs until Thursday in Hamburg.
Children as Suspects
It is awaited with anticipation whether the ministers will ultimately be able to agree on common lines — particularly regarding the deportation of criminals with protected status and the question of how to deal with increasingly younger suspects in the future. Observers expect that the results will feed into the deliberations of the federal cabinet and the upcoming state election campaigns.
The news was broadcast on 17.06.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.
Questions & Answers
What is Andy Grote demanding regarding the deportation of criminals?
Grote demands lowering the high legal hurdles for the return of criminals with protected status — regardless of their country of origin. He wants to extend the protected status for Ukrainian refugees at the EU level, but not allow it to apply to criminals or right-wing extremists.
What demand is the German Police Union making at the Interior Ministers' Conference?
The DPolG is calling for the age of criminal responsibility to be lowered from 14 to 12 years because perpetrators are getting younger and are being instrumentalized by criminal networks. Stefanie Hubig (SPD) rejects this.
What other topics are on the agenda of the IMK in Hamburg?
In addition to migration and deportations, the ministers are discussing, among other things, violence and pyrotechnics in the vicinity of football matches, the protection of critical infrastructure, fines for traffic violations, and improvements in civil and disaster protection.
