A leading Green party official, Felix Banaszak, has sharply criticized the debate in Germany over deportations. “We should lead the migration debate less heated and more honestly together” Banaszak told the Funke Media Group newspapers.
“One country that is solely demographically reliant on immigration cannot continuously discuss deportations and isolation” he added. “Our economy is actively seeking skilled and workforce labor – and yet the Union, FDP and AfD only talk about getting rid of people. We should put more effort into integrating the people who come to us into the labor market and society.”
Migration, Banaszak said, also presents a societal conflict. “But we want Germany to remain a cosmopolitan country that offers protection to people who need it – also from exclusion and violence due to their skin color.”
In response to a question about whether the Greens will stick to the controversial ten-point plan of Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck, which calls for steps to further reduce and limit irregular migration, Banaszak reacted with restraint. Habeck has always emphasized the need for reason and differentiation in this topic, the party chief said. “Who creates orderly escape routes and a functioning, fair European system, thereby also limits unorderly migration” he noted.