Germany's Current Immigration Policy Risks Repeating Historical Mistakes of Treating Migrants as Labor Rather Than People
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/carolin-w-rfel. "In an Istanbul market, I came across an old German phrase book – and a reminder of how not to speak to migrants | Carolin Würfel | The Guardian." March 28, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that Germany is making the same mistake today that it made in the 1960s - treating immigrants mainly as workers to fill jobs rather than as real people with full lives. She found an old German language book for Turkish workers that showed this cold, business-like attitude, and warns that current immigration policies sound dangerously similar.
Conclusion
Germany's current approach to recruiting 'skilled labour' risks repeating the dehumanizing mistakes of the 1960s Gastarbeiter program by treating migration as primarily economic transaction rather than human relationship
Premises
- The 1960s German phrase book 'Deutsch für Türken' reveals how Turkish workers were treated as temporary labor subjects rather than people with complex histories and needs
- Turkish 'guest workers' were deliberately kept at distance and not seen as future citizens, despite Germany and Turkey having a much longer shared history
- The dehumanizing treatment of Turkish workers caused lasting psychological harm, as evidenced by the principle of 'nicht auffallen' (do not stand out) and cultural suppression
- Germany's current government speaks of recruiting 'skilled labour' with careful specifications of qualifications and economic usefulness, echoing the transactional approach of the past
- Germany has been culturally enriched by those once kept at distance as 'guests,' proving that viewing migrants as full people rather than just workers benefits society
Assumptions
- Historical patterns of migration policy tend to repeat themselves unless consciously addressed
- Treating migrants primarily as economic units rather than full human beings causes psychological and social harm
- Cultural integration and mutual enrichment require seeing migrants as complete people with histories and contributions beyond labor
- Language learning materials and government policies reflect deeper societal attitudes toward migrants