Curbing unqualified immigration remains a core component of President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. In the first six months of his second term, the president has made considerable strides in delivering on commitments made to American voters.
The Department of Homeland Security has worked to seal the southern border, executed large-scale removals of violent offenders with criminal records, and ushered in a sweeping transformation of the U.S. Coast Guard.
While these measures initially drew skepticism across Europe, they are now being mirrored by several European governments — with countries including Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands tightening immigration controls in response to mounting domestic pressures. Yet it is in Europe's leading power — Germany — that immigration challenges have proven most acute, testing not only social cohesion but the very foundations of its political consensus.
Germany has long stood as one of the world's most hospitable destinations for migrants. Between 2013 and 2023, the nation experienced a net influx of 6.43 million people — the largest inflow of any country outside the U.S.
Once seen as a badge of moral leadership and liberal openness, this dramatic demographic transformation is now a significant driver of political discontent.
Unsurprisingly, polls suggest immigration was among the top concerns in the latest German elections. That the issue has gained urgency is not only a reflection of the economic and social strains placed on public services, but a result of growing security fears.
In some cities, the scale of migration has led to whole districts being almost entirely populated by immigrants, creating integration bottlenecks and cultural frictions. More disturbingly, Germany has faced a series of terrorist incidents tied to recent migrants.
In February, a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker drove into a crowd of trade union demonstrators in central Munich, injuring more than 30 people and killing a mother and her young child, according to police. This was not an isolated incident but one of many, underscoring the risks that emerge when immigration outpaces the state's ability to screen, integrate, and monitor individuals entering its borders.
Beyond these immediate threats, Germany faces a deeper, more insidious problem: the unknown. The sheer scale and speed of immigration have overwhelmed the state's intelligence and law enforcement systems.
As the country struggles to track criminal networks and extremist groups, it risks becoming a safe haven for actors who pose threats to national and even international security.
It has long been known that Germany is one of Hezbollah's main arenas of operation in Europe. Over the years, the terrorist organization has raised millions of dollars in Berlin, where Hezbollah's infrastructure includes operatives, crime families, and Shiite Muslim centers.
Additionally, Hezbollah plays a central role in global drug trafficking taking place via Germany with the organization coordinating drug shipments arriving from South America and laundering the revenue generated to purchase weapons and finance military operations globally. Also of concern is an 83% rise in antisemitic incidents in the country — an issue of particular sensitivity for Germans.
In addition to widely known terrorist organizations, the European power hosts other contentious groups that are less well known, yet equally concerning. One such entity is the Gulen Movement, known in Turkey as Fethullah Terrorist Organization or FETO.
The Turkish government holds FETO responsible for the 2016 coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While tens of thousands of its members have been arrested, or exiled from Turkey, the organization has found refuge in Germany, where it has maintained a worryingly high profile.
Despite Ankara's persistent demands for action, the group operates openly through schools, cultural institutions, and political advocacy. According to a Deutsche Welle investigation, the organization enjoys the backing of some German political figures, media outlets, and even Christian churches.
Known for its work in education, the Gulen movement currently operates 14 schools across Germany. Its affiliated think tank — the Foundation for Dialogue and Education (Stiftung Dialog und Bildung) — has been actively engaged in lobbying German officials, portraying itself as a peaceful, democratic counterweight to Erdogan's government.
While German authorities have admitted that "the organizational structure of the Gulen movement is nontransparent," the head of Germany's foreign intelligence service deemed the movement to be a "civil association for the purpose of religious and secular education." Importantly, former operatives of the movement have cautioned authorities not to be deceived since the group is best characterized by a "secret dual structure" with a facade that hides its true nature.
Harboring a group designated as terrorist organization by a fellow NATO ally — particularly one as strategically vital as Turkey — raises serious questions about Germany's alignment with its transatlantic partners. More broadly, and coupled with the existence of other groups such as Hezbollah, it exposes a blind spot in Berlin's security posture: the false dichotomy between foreign policy and domestic security.
In an era of hybrid threats, mass migration, and ideological extremism, internal vulnerabilities can quickly metastasize into international crises.
Germany's hesitance to confront these realities stems in part from its postwar political culture — one defined by atonement, consensus, and caution. But such virtues can become liabilities when they prevent a nation from addressing urgent security threats.
The country can no longer afford to treat immigration as a purely humanitarian or economic matter. It must adopt a more robust, strategic approach that includes thorough vetting, intelligence-sharing, and legal mechanisms for deportation where appropriate.
It is time for Germany to take a page from Trump's playbook — not in tone, but in resolve. Protecting a liberal society does not mean ignoring threats in the name of openness; it means facing them squarely and acting decisively to prevent the erosion of national stability from within.
Ivan Sascha Sheehan is a professor of Public and International affairs and the associate dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. Opinions expressed are his own. Follow him on X @ProfSheehan. Read More — Here.
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