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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany would be a 'poorer' country without migration, president says
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for debates on migration to be held with "reason," amid increased border controls under the country's new government. "Immigration was never easy," Steinmeier said in Berlin at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Intercultural Week, a nationwide initiative against racism. "It is also not just a problem story. It is also always an important part of our country's success story." Steinmeier said discussions on migration policy should include both an "honest position that says what we want and can do," as well as a "consensus that we are and will remain a country with many backgrounds, religions and cultures." "Being German today also means equal rights for those with immigrant biographies," the president added. Some 21 million people in Germany - around a quarter of the population - either migrated to the country, or are the children of migrants, Steinmeier said. "We are more than a country with people with an immigrant background," the president said. Germany is a "country with an immigrant background." He added: "Without immigration, Germany would undoubtedly be a poorer country." His comments came as Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt presented his plans for a crackdown on migration in Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag. "Citizens expect political change from us," Dobrindt said on Friday after taking office last week under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led coalition government. The interior minister, from the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU), argued that the change has now begun on Germany's borders. Shortly after taking over the ministry, Dobrindt ordered tougher border checks, allowing officials to turn back migrants even if they apply for asylum. Addressing his coalition partners from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) on Friday, Dobrindt said he knows the crackdown is "a longer road" for the centre-left party than for Merz's conservative bloc. "Let us tackle this task together." Irregular migration, he said, jeopardizes "the stability of our country." He also announced increased deportations, including to Afghanistan and Syria. Deporting migrants to the two countries, despite questions over their governments' support for human rights, was a major campaign issue ahead of February's parliamentary elections. Dobrindt further argued that police powers must be increased, and that officers should no longer be placed under general suspicion. He rejected proposals by the previous centre-left coalition for police to be required to issue receipts after stopping people in public places when asked for - a policy meant to combat racial profiling - and for mandatory identification for officers.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Germany would be a 'poorer country' without migration, president says
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for debates on migration to be held with "reason," amid increased border controls under the country's new government. "Immigration was never easy," Steinmeier said in Berlin at an event to mark the 50th anniversary of the Intercultural Week, a nationwide initiative against racism. "It is also not just a problem story. It is also always an important part of our country's success story." Steinmeier said discussions on migration policy should include both an "honest position that says what we want and can do," as well as a "consensus that we are and will remain a country with many backgrounds, religions and cultures." "Being German today also means equal rights for those with immigrant biographies," the president added. Some 21 million people in Germany - around a quarter of the population - either migrated to the country, or are the children of migrants, Steinmeier said. "We are more than a country with people with an immigrant background," the president said. Germany is a "country with an immigrant background." He added: "Without immigration, Germany would undoubtedly be a poorer country."
