Germany’s First Immigration Law
After much political wrangling, Germany’s first immigration law came into effect January 1. The new policy is not necessarily anti-immigration. After all, Germany’s population is growing old and the birth rate is dropping; Germany can’t simply stop immigration.
At the same time, Berlin considered that immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to take jobs when over 5 million Germans are now out of work. Thus came a policy, according to Germany’s Deutsche Welle, where non-EU immigrants would be “denied access to simple jobs” and only be allowed to work on a contractual basis—in temporary or seasonal jobs. Even immigrants from the 10 new EU states would have to wait seven years before they could look for jobs in Germany “on their own” (January 1).
The concern about immigrants is not just limited to employment issues, but also how the immigrants fit in to German society. “Drawing on lessons from the past, lawmakers also instilled in the regulation measures meant to improve integration in the face of widespread beliefs that a large number of the roughly 7.3 million foreigners living in Germany have not adjusted socially to their adopted country.”
No worries. Berlin has a plan for this. “Starting next year, new immigrants will have the right to participate in state-funded German-language classes and receive an introduction to the country’s justice system, culture and history.” They will “have the right.” Sounds very democratic, right? But the article clarifies: “The authorities may also force foreigners already living in Germany to participate in the courses or forfeit their residence permits or social handouts.”
The law, according to DW, is also intended to keep terrorists out of the country. Germany’s intelligence agency will run background checks on every application before permanent residency is granted. The law also makes it easier to deport anyone considered to have terrorist connections.
This is all occurring as nationalism is on the rise. Young people are more often singing along to pop songs that honor the Fatherland. Germans are increasingly sick of hearing reminders about Nazi atrocities. Right-wing extremists are gaining seats in regional parliaments—and some of them walked out on a moment of silence for victims of the Jewish Holocaust. Germany’s two major far-right right parties officially joined forces mid-January to present a unified front at the 2006 general elections.
For a nation to be proud, even protective, of its culture is only natural. But when Germany does it, it strikes an ominous, historic cord. It was the pride in the Fatherland, along with distrust and eventual hatred of foreigners, that brought the Nazis to power in the 1930s.
Back then, it was hatred toward non-Aryans—mainly Jews. Today, Germany’s xenophobic inclinations are cloaked in anti-terrorist sentiment.
Jews are not also off the hook either. Part of Germany’s immigration reform is a response to the huge numbers of Eastern European Jews moving to Germany since the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the past three years, more Jews have immigrated to Germany than to Israel. Germany has the third-largest population of Eastern European Jews after Israel and the U.S. (ibid., January 11). Some German states have already begun drawing up legislation designed to tighten laws on Jews immigrating from the former Soviet Union.
Watch for a dramatic rise in nationalism in Germany. Watch for increased regulation on immigration and foreigners already living in the country. For more on Germany’s history, and how this factors into future prophesied events, request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
