Germany Toughens Expulsion Rules for Foreigners who Commit Crimes

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet Wednesday agreed to make it easier to expel foreigners who have committed crimes, in the wake of a spate of sex assaults on New Year's Eve blamed on migrants.

Police investigating the crime spree in the western city of Cologne have said the suspects were mostly asylum seekers and illegal migrants from North Africa.

The rampage shocked Germany and jolted Merkel into backing changes to the law, which are expected to be passed by parliament given her coalition government's strong majority.

On Wednesday, her cabinet backed changing the law to expel asylum seekers who have been sentenced to one year's jail or more, including suspended sentences.

Previously, refugee status could only be withdrawn in cases where applicants had ben sentenced to at least three-year terms.

The Cologne assaults ignited a heated debate in Germany over the country's ability to socially integrate the 1.1 million asylum seekers it took in last year.