In a new video, Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Tino Chrupalla raised questions about whether he truly supports remigration in Germany. He sharply criticized ICE in the United States and called for “unity,” arguing Americans were opposed to the tactics used by officers to apprehend illegal migrants.
The question now is what Chrupalla was trying to say with his statement. To many, it sounds like capitulation.
“Anyone who wants to regulate migration better must not divide, but seek broad support. Not enemy images, but mutual understanding unites the citizens. In the US, the approach of the deportation agency ICE also met with disapproval from majorities, as shown by a Fox News survey in September. We must unite, not divide,” he said.
🇩🇪🔴 Is AfD co-leader @Tino_Chrupalla abandoning remigration for Germany?
"In the US, the approach of the deportation agency ICE also met with disapproval from majorities, as shown by a Fox News survey in September. We must unite, not divide."
There is a sharp debate about what Chrupalla’s comments actually mean. Is he just rejecting ICE-style raids seen in the US or does he believe remigration itself is off the table?
In the same speech, he also slammed Donald Trump.
"Hardly anyone is as unpopular as Chancellor Merz, except perhaps US President Donald Trump… Trump started a war against Iran that threatens to become his legacy. That is why he has now lost the elections."
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— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 10, 2026The cynical view is that his party is preparing to betray voters on the issue of mass deportations. Given the course charted by nearly every right-wing party in Europe and the United States up to this point, this is obviously the baseline scenario everyone should assume.
Trump himself recently announced he is open to working with Democrats to grant amnesty to millions of illegal migrants—a move that would likely relegate Texas to permanent Democrat control, much like California before it. In such a scenario, the Republicans may be reduced to a minority party incapable of taking back power for decades.
However, the more charitable interpretation is that Chrupalla correctly realizes that armed men in tactical gear rounding up illegal migrants is not only problematic in the United States, but would be an absolute PR disaster in Germany. The reality is that if any serious mass deportations are going to happen, it will have to be a bureaucratic process: cutting off benefits, eliminating free housing, and providing strong financial incentives for migrants to return home.
The issue is that Chrupalla does not clearly define what he actually wants. Given his soft, “unity”-style language, it is easy to assume he has abandoned any core conviction regarding remigration or mass deportations.
🇩🇪 "Of course, we want remigration!"
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel says the mass violation of the law at Germany’s borders is an "extremist policy effectively suspending our constitution."
"Foreign criminals and rejected asylum seekers — they have no place in our country!" https://t.co/rFBTkmFjKG
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 22, 2026Chrupalla also took issue with Trump’s failed war on Iran, which is deeply unpopular across Europe.
“Hardly anyone is as unpopular as Chancellor Merz, except perhaps US President Donald Trump. Before taking office, Trump promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours. At the midterm point, the war is still raging—and not only that. Trump started a war against Iran that threatens to become his legacy. That is why he has now lost the elections. In 2024, the citizens of the US voted for peace and social security. But wars lead to high costs of living and death on both sides,” Chrupalla said.
Chrupalla then called for Trump to halt the war and save his legacy.
If this is Chrupalla’s core belief system—pro-peace and no remigration—that is all well and good, but there are left-wing parties that would be a far better fit for his brand of politics, such as the BSW. In many ways, the BSW is tailored for him: they favor strict immigration enforcement, left-wing economic policies, and actively push to end the wars in Ukraine, Iran, and Gaza.
Chrupalla must eventually clarify his stance, perhaps taking a lesson from other right-wing politicians. If you want to win power, you preach remigration and mass deportations, and only after winning office do you betray your base. If he intends to soft-pedal immigration enforcement, his timeline is completely backward.
Remigration, an immigration moratorium, and other strict restrictionist measures promised by the AfD are the primary winning issues that have made it the largest party in all of Germany by a wide margin. There will be plenty of time for the AfD to betray those promises down the road, but the party has to win first.
If Chrupalla actually supports real deportation efforts, he should make the straightforward argument that remigration can be achieved through effective policy and bureaucratic measures without resorting to ICE-style raids. That would be a fair point.
As for Trump, his entire deportation scheme was promoted through Homeland Security social media accounts in such a cartoonish and absurd manner that many suspect the handlers were actively trying to sabotage the effort. They posted over-the-top AI brutality porn, militaristic jingoism, and a style nearly everyone despised. In the end, these AI slop videos foreshadowed Trump completely folding on mass deportations and dramatically gutting ICE operations.
On his current “rehabilitation” tour—or humiliation tour, depending on your perspective—he is even claiming that ICE was too harsh. Rumors are now circulating that he is attempting to save his own skin by cutting an amnesty deal in exchange for protection from impeachment and a guarantee that neither he nor his family will face prosecution after 2028. It is unclear whether Trump can actually extract any concrete promises on prosecution, but he is clearly desperate. He has so thoroughly wrecked the Republican brand that any GOP candidate in 2028 faces extremely grim odds of coming anywhere near power. That leaves him far more exposed than if a Republican administration were in control.
Some claim Ron DeSantis could step in and save the day, given that he wasn’t directly tied to the administration. The problem is that Trump remains in power until 2028, and anyone carrying the Republican brand, DeSantis included, is going to be burdened with radioactive baggage. This comes on top of the GOP’s complete failure to articulate a coherent economic message for youth, working-class, and middle-class Americans in an era where socialism looks increasingly attractive relative to modern AI-driven capitalism and extreme wealth inequality.
Back in 2016, few could have imagined that Trump would be back in power in 2024 talking about introducing mass amnesty alongside Democrats. If Chrupalla’s party manages to take power in Germany, how many betrayals can German voters expect?
It seems that in Western democracies, right-wing voters never get what they voted for. As much as AfD supporters want to believe their party will be the exception, disappointment almost certainly lies ahead.
