The Federal Minister of Labour, Bärbel Bas (SPD), has refuted the assertion that the issue is one of “immigration into social systems”. Instead, she stressed that the primary problem they must combat is the misuse of social benefits, describing it as a serious offense-far from a minor infraction. She stated she is adhering to a very strict policy regarding this issue, noting that preliminary measures, such as financial controls targeting illegal employment, have already been implemented.
Bas clarified that while it is true that people migrate because they are seeking a better life or fleeing war and persecution, the motive is not simply the availability of a social benefits catalog.
She expressed frustration that her remarks were heavily simplified, emphasizing that the original focus was on skilled labor. According to Bas, the current narrative exaggerates the issue into a broad claim that everyone only moves to the country to “immigrate into our social systems”. She considers this generalization reductive and unfair to the many hard-working individuals already living there.