German CDU and CSU leaders call for debate on migration and urban landscape

German politicians from the CDU and CSU are calling for a renewed debate regarding the “Stadtbild” (urban landscape/image) and its connection to migration. Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) advocated for continuing this discussion, noting that issues such as migration into social systems and crime involving migrants must be addressed openly rather than being hidden behind a “firewall.”

CSU General Secretary Martin Huber expressed support, stating that migration concerns the people of the country and that the government must continue to deport those without a right to stay. North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul also supported the initiative, acknowledging that the urban landscape has changed and that society must be able to discuss these shifts without reflexive defensiveness or undifferentiated labeling of groups.

While the movement seeks to address public concerns and social changes, proponents like Rhein emphasized that the discussion should avoid “terrible remigration fantasies.”