09.01.2026, 08:01
Migration Is Not the Problem – It Is Made Into One
Migration is increasingly being used as a political weapon — not only in the United States, but also in Germany and other democracies. In this process, it is often the most vulnerable people who are caught in the middle. They are reduced to symbols, turned into projection surfaces, and instrumentalized for power-political interests.
This pattern is not new. We encounter it in smaller social systems as well, such as families. When conflicts, fears, or experiences of loss of control are not addressed, they are frequently displaced onto the weakest members. Responsibility is externalized, and power is exercised in compensatory ways.
Societies function in remarkably similar ways. Migration then no longer serves a factual debate, but becomes a tool for emotional mobilization. Complex realities are simplified, accountability is avoided, and social divisions harden.
A sustainable solution will only become possible when we begin to understand power not only in political or legal terms, but also in psychosocial ones. Power does not merely mean enforcement; it also entails responsibility, self-restraint, and the ability to tolerate ambiguity.
As long as this dimension remains unaddressed, new groups will continue to be found onto whom fears can be projected. Real change therefore does not begin with legislation alone — but with awareness, education, and a more mature public discourse.
Migration is increasingly being used as a political weapon — not only in the United States, but also in Germany and other democracies. In this process, it is often the most vulnerable people who are caught in the middle. They are reduced to symbols, turned into projection surfaces, and instrumentalized for power-political interests.
This pattern is not new. We encounter it in smaller social systems as well, such as families. When conflicts, fears, or experiences of loss of control are not addressed, they are frequently displaced onto the weakest members. Responsibility is externalized, and power is exercised in compensatory ways.
Societies function in remarkably similar ways. Migration then no longer serves a factual debate, but becomes a tool for emotional mobilization. Complex realities are simplified, accountability is avoided, and social divisions harden.
A sustainable solution will only become possible when we begin to understand power not only in political or legal terms, but also in psychosocial ones. Power does not merely mean enforcement; it also entails responsibility, self-restraint, and the ability to tolerate ambiguity.
As long as this dimension remains unaddressed, new groups will continue to be found onto whom fears can be projected. Real change therefore does not begin with legislation alone — but with awareness, education, and a more mature public discourse.