Christian Churches are “deeply troubled” by the legislative motion calling for stricter immigration policies, which the German Parliament voted on January 29. In a joint letter addressed to all members of parliament and published on the eve of the vote, the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church made their stance clear.
The ongoing debates are likely to “defame all migrants living in Germany, fuel prejudices, and, in our opinion, do not contribute to solving the real issues at hand.” The letter is signed by Anne Gidion, representing the Protestants, and Father Karl Jüsten, representing the Catholics, both serving as their church’s official delegates to political institutions in Berlin.
A heavy security context
The country has been shaken by two recent deadly attacks involving foreigners. The first, attributed to a Saudi national, resulted in the deaths of six people and injured 299 others on December 20, 2024, at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. The second was carried out by an Afghan on January 22, leaving two dead and three injured during a school outing in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria.
It is in this context that the right-wing CDU/CSU party has introduced a bill aimed at, among other things, the immediate detention of individuals awaiting deportation, the suspension of family reunification, and the acceleration of asylum procedures.
To secure the passage of this initial motion, which included the rejection of asylum seekers at German borders, the CDU/CSU had to ally with the far-right AfD party—a significant political shift for the country. This alliance is also condemned by Germany’s Christian churches, which fear that “German democracy will suffer massive damage” if the “cordon sanitaire” that has existed until now is “abandoned.”
The letter to lawmakers is accompanied by a highly technical document that meticulously reviews current legal provisions and examines the proposed changes in detail. The two largest churches in the country “emphasize that, based on current knowledge, the proposed legal amendments would not have prevented any of the attacks.” Arguing that the perpetrators were “clearly mentally ill individuals,” they instead highlighted “a deficiency in information-sharing between various authorities and a glaring lack of adequate care for mentally ill patients.”
“Incapable of solving problems”
Responding to the draft law’s restriction on family reunification, the churches reminded lawmakers that “family is a very precious good that must be protected” and emphasized the “fundamental social need” of living together as a family. Furthermore, the protection of marriage and family also serves the interests of society as a whole,” they argued.
The proposed legislation also called for continuous border controls and rejections at all German borders—even for people seeking protection. The churches expressed concerns over the lack of procedural clarity, warning of “delayed decision-making processes” and doubting “whether the federal police have the necessary personnel.”
The letter concluded that “the draft law is therefore incapable of contributing to resolving the outstanding issues in migration policy.” The full bill was put to a parliamentary vote January 31, and was rejected, but not before stirring debate across the country, which is gearing up for legislative elections scheduled for February 23. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose conservative Christian Democrats party leads in the polls, called the new law a necessary response to recent high-profile killings in public spaces involving individuals of immigrant backgrounds.