BERLIN (AP) — Germany's designated interior minister vows to speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers once he takes office next week.

Horst Seehofer, who is currrently still the governor of Bavaria, said Sunday he wants to implement a "plan for accelerated asylum procedures and consequent deportations."

Seehofer will be part of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's future Cabinet, which will be sworn in Wednesday.

He told weekly paper Bild am Sonntag, "We want to remain a cosmopolitan and liberal country. But when it's about the security of our citizens, we need a strong state."

Germany welcomed over 1 million migrants between 2015 and 2016. But the arrival of the mostly Muslim migrants has led to a backlash against immigrants in parts of the German population.