On May 6th, when Germany's new government enters office, it will make the end of a short but eventful era for foreigners.
Under the former traffic-light coalition, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser oversaw a number of big liberalisations in immigration policy, from allowing dual citizenship to bringing in the points-based Opportunity Card.
Over the years, Faeser repeatedly stressed the benefits of migration, saying Germany needed to win a global competition for the best and brightest minds.
Now, however, with the centre-right Christian Social Union (CSU) taking over the ministry from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), there's set to be a significant change in tone.
The new minister in charge will be Alexander Dobrindt: a 54-year-old veteran of the party who currently heads up the Bavarian wing of the CSU in the Bundestag.
READ ALSO: Germany's next cabinet takes shape under leader-in-waiting Merz
Announcing the appointment on Monday at noon, CSU leader Markus Söder described Dobrindt as "the strongest man we have in Berlin".
The Interior Ministry is our "leading ministry", he said, adding that it "requires a leading man".
"The topic of immigration is central for the CSU, but also for democracy," Söder added. "And the coalition pact set a very good foundation for a complete change of direction on immigration."
Who exactly is Alexander Dobrindt?
A prominent figure in both the national and regional wing of the parties, Dobrindt has been a member of the CSU since he was 16 years old.
In 1986, he joined the youth wing of the party - known as the Junge Union - and held several local leadership roles before winning his first seat as an MP in Weilheim, Upper Bavaria, in 2002.
Serving as Transport Minister under former Chancellor Angela Merkel back in 2013-2017, the softly-spoken politician faced criticism for his handling of the 2015 'Dieselgate' scandal.
READ ALSO: German prosecutors seek jail terms in VW 'dieselgate' trial
After it emerged that the car giant Volkswagen had been using devices to cheat emissions tests, environment groups accused Dobrindt of refusing to cooperate with investigations. He later personally intervened to prevent a joint lawsuit against the VW for affected customers.
Praising his pick for Interior Minister, Söder described Dobrindt as a politician who was "competent and decisive, but also with a clear conservative profile".
This "conservative profile" includes an uncompromising stance on migration.
Back in 2024, as the traffic-light coalition geared up to introduce its dual national law, Dobrindt fumed that the bill would "split Germany".
READ ALSO: Germany to end three-year 'turbo track' for citizenship
"The new traffic light citizenship law with express naturalisation after just three years and standard dual citizenship is a denunciation of decades of social consensus," he said, adding that the move would "intensify" debates about migration.
"The traffic light parties are constantly trying to deny their responsibility for the polarisation of Germany. The truth is, however, that they are throwing water on the mill of the AfD every week."
Outside of his opposition to dual nationality, Dobrindt has repeatedly taken a tough line on asylum seekers, advocating for the return of Ukrainian refugees who don't take up work in Germany.
Speaking to RTL on Monday, the incoming minister pledged a "turnaround" in migration.
"We have to get migration back on track and that means ensuring that the numbers go down," he said. "We will ensure that the number of refusals at the borders increases significantly. We will suspend family reunification and we will repatriate people, including to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan."
Though there will need to be some cooporation with the more migrant-friendly SPD, Dobrindt seemed confident of passing the measures set out in the parties' coalition agreement.
"We have agreed tough measures in the coalition pact that will enable a turnaround in migration," he said. "And my task is to implement and fulfil them accordingly."
What is the government planning when it comes to migration?
Though the CDU and CSU didn't manage to get everything on their wish list into the coalition pact, the document certainly takes a much stricter stance on migration.
Here, the primary target is refugees and so-called "irregular migration". According to soon-to-be Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the incoming government will turn away people without entry permits at the border and repatriate migrants en masse if their applications for asylum are rejected.
The government has already paused flights that were meant to transport Afghans at risk of Taliban persecution to Germany.
On citizenship, dual nationality will remain, as will naturalisation after five years - but a three-year track for specially integrated foreigners will be dispensed with.
There will also be measures to speed up the recognition of qualifications for foreign skilled workers, and set up a digital 'Work and Stay Agency' to make it easier for workers to move to Germany.
In a more controversial plan, the new black-red coalition will also consider stripping German citizenship from "terror supporters, antisemites and extremists" who also hold another nationality. This idea has been slammed as a move towards a "two-class" citizenship system, and legal experts have claimed it is unconstitutional.
READ ALSO: Germany's next government could make it easier to strip citizenship from dual nationals
With questions looming about the legality of some of the new government's plans, Dobrindt may find himself embroiled in a few legal battles when he tries to enact legislation.
However, the CSU politician has previously expressed admiration for politicians who move fast and govern by decree, mentioning US President Donald Trump as a positive example.
"The images from America show a president who proves every day by decree that he is able to bring about political change with his signature," Dobrindt told the Rheinische Post in January. "In Germany, this leads to the realisation that rapid political change is also possible in democracies if there is the necessary willingness on the part of the responsible politicians."
According to Dobrindt, the new chancellor should issue directives to tackle the issue of migration.
"It is recognisable that politicians are capable of making fundamental decisions," he explained, referring to Trump's first weeks in office. "And that is also expected in Germany."
Comments