Steinmeier: Naturalization Does Not Make You a Second-Class Citizen

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier vocally backed immigration to Germany, rejecting the notion that naturalized citizens should be viewed as second-class members of society. In Berlin, he emphasized that all who live lawfully in Germany, regardless of their background, are part of the nation. The constitution, Steinmeier stressed, "knows no ethnic community bound by common blood" and does not grant special privileges to those born in Germany.

He argued that citizenship and language are what define someone as German, not the lineage of their ancestors.

Steinmeier warned against creating different tiers of German identity and cautioned that anyone who seeks to categorize or grade citizens based on group membership is undermining the constitution. While not naming the far-right Alternative for Germany party, his comments were widely seen as a rebuke of the AfD's stance against immigration and its demand for measures like deporting Syrian refugees.

He argued that those granted residency should be able to access essential services like education, housing, and healthcare. Those who must leave should depart. He urged policymakers to address citizens' concerns about being overwhelmed by the influx of immigrants. Steinmeier stressed that when trust in coexistence erodes, it's the responsibility of politics to intervene with swift, decisive action and solutions.

He acknowledged that immigration places demands on established residents and communities, but also provides benefits, such as filling gaps in the workforce, particularly in healthcare and care facilities, and sustaining local economies.