The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz was recently criticized for statements about refugees. Now he follows up. He should not be silent about the current problem. One should not set the wrong incentives for refugees.
Friedrich Merz leaned out of the window. He accused Ukrainian refugees of “social tourism”. He was harshly criticized for this. And finally rowed back. But he doesn’t want to exercise restraint on the subject. On the contrary: In an interview with “t-online”, Merz spoke again about “the problem” that he believes prevails.
“We have to address the issues that move people,” says Merz. “There is a problem with the matter and that is: This federal government apparently wants to significantly expand immigration instead of directing it in a regulated manner.”
The problem is that the infrastructure of the Federal Republic is “simply not geared” to this influx of people, according to Merz. There are “cries for help from the municipalities”. Merz continues to “t-online”: “We have to talk seriously about what we are able to do and what is no longer possible.”
And then Merz talks about his favorite topic. “We are setting the wrong incentives,” says the CDU leader. Germany takes in a lot of people. Merz literally: “The social network that we span is very large. With the social benefit that will be called “citizen’s allowance” in the future, it is often no longer worthwhile for immigrants to take up a simple job. And that is exactly what really attracts people from many countries, it creates a so-called pull factor.”
According to Merz, the federal government is blurring the boundaries of migration law. It exacerbates the problem of not clearly distinguishing between “regulated immigration into the labor market, humanitarian asylum and illegal immigration.”
Also read: Migration expert Kraus warns – “We are facing a historic flight winter”