Discontent Among Germans Regarding Immigration Policy

The majority of Germans express dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government’s handling of immigration policy. A recent survey by INSA for a Berlin newspaper found that 78% of voters believe the government isn’t doing enough to address immigration issues. In stark contrast, only 11% concurred with Merz’s assertion that the migrant crisis has been “largely” resolved.

Interestingly, even those who support Merz’s own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian counterpart, the CSU, share this pessimism. A significant 73% of federal voters disapprove of the chancellor’s performance—a notable shift, with only 20% expressing approval after a year in office.

While the Merz administration has made strides in reducing illegal immigration compared to the previous government led by the Social Democrats, there remains a sense that efforts aren’t sufficient. Federal police data suggests that illegal entry cases will hit about 62,000 in 2025, which is a decrease from 83,572 the year before and a stark drop from 127,549 in 2023.

Nonetheless, the number of first-time asylum applications has also plummeted, with 113,236 applications reported in 2025, down from 229,751 in 2024 and 329,120 in 2023.

On the downside, enforced returns to countries like Afghanistan and Syria are limited. Last year, only around 22,000 immigrants were expelled from Germany.

Even with the drop in illegal immigration and asylum requests, the long-term effects of mass migration policies initiated under former Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to linger. The scale of immigration has been significant—approximately one in five individuals in Germany, or about 16.4 million people, are foreign immigrants. The number rises to about 22 million, or 26.3% of the entire population, when counting children of immigrants.

This demographic shift is influencing not just cultural aspects of German life but also real-world issues, including crime. Recent statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) indicate that foreigners make up 42.9% of all suspects, a figure that likely underrepresents the true impact, as it doesn’t account for naturalized citizens or the children of immigrants.

Moreover, immigrants represent a disproportionately high percentage of welfare recipients. Government data from 2024 shows that 48% of those relying on the Bürgelgeld (‘national allowance’) welfare system are foreigners, translating to 2.7 million applicants.

Despite this, the government faced backlash when Labor Minister Berber Bas claimed no one immigrates to Germany solely for social welfare benefits. The government distanced itself from her comments, suggesting they did not endorse her statement.

CDU MP Johannes Winkel responded, stating, “We all know that millions of immigrants are entering our social system, resulting in billions of dollars in costs to taxpayers and insured persons. There is simply no point in denying that reality.”