"The fact that an asylum seeker may have multiple spouses in his or her home country does not affect the chances of asylum. The only relevant factor is whether the asylum seeker is being persecuted in his or her home country," Piotr Malachowski said, when asked whether polygamous migrants would have slimmer chances of being granted asylum in Germany.
While polygamous marriages are illegal in Germany, where they are punishable by up to three years in prison, immigrants from Muslim countries often live in Germany with multiple spouses.
"As long as there are no criminal acts involved [like bigamy, forced marriage, unlawful imprisonment or mistreatment], the state has no authority to prohibit adults to live or raise children together," Malachowski explained.
Germany has become a key destination for migrants coming in their hundreds of thousands to Europe. According to de Maiziere, Germany received around 1.1 million registered migrants last year alone.