With Germany’s elections just days away, immigration has emerged as a dominant issue, fueled by recent violent incidents involving asylum seekers.
The country is still reeling from last week’s attack in Munich, where a mother and her toddler were killed. The suspect, an Afghan asylum seeker, is in custody. This follows another fatal attack in Aschaffenburg last month, further intensifying debates over migration policies.
For Alya, a Syrian refugee who arrived in Germany a decade ago with her newborn son, such violence is heartbreaking. “Germany has given us everything. I can’t understand why someone would do this,” she says. Now settled in Oberhausen, she has learned German, trained in elderly care, and is looking for work, while her 10-year-old son dreams of becoming a doctor or footballer.
Germany’s approach to migration has changed significantly since 2015, when then-Chancellor Angela Merkel famously declared, “We can manage this,” as the country welcomed over a million asylum seekers. Today, political discourse is far less welcoming.
The rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has brought “remigration”—a call for mass deportations—into mainstream political debates. Meanwhile, the leading conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) advocate stricter border controls, and the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) pledge to accelerate asylum processing and deportations.
The shifting political climate is evident on Oberhausen’s streets. A recent confrontation between AfD campaigners and two men of immigrant background turned heated, with an AfD activist telling them to “go back to your homeland.” The men, both long-time residents of Germany, argued they are as much a part of the country as anyone else.
As Germany’s election nears, the debate over immigration and security continues to divide the nation. Whether the country tightens its borders or maintains its asylum commitments will largely depend on the coalition that emerges after February 23.
