German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proposed changes to make it easier to deport asylum-seekers who commit crimes
Merkel said on January 9 that any refugee handed a jail term, even if it is a suspended sentence, should be kicked out of the country.
The plan, which will need parliamentary approval, comes amid public outrage triggered by New Year's Eve mass violence in Cologne.
Also on January 9, police used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse an anti-immigrant protest in the western city.
Reports say bottles and firecrackers were hurled at police lines.
The clashes came as the number of complaints related to the New Year's Eve violence reached 379.
Police said asylum seekers and illegal migrants from North Africa made up the majority of suspects, adding that around 40 percent of the cases related to sexual assault.
