A dispute is brewing in the AfD about the right course of action for deportations. While the party leadership rejects an approach based on the US model, others are relying on toughness.
AfD leader Tino Chrupalla criticized the migration policy of the US immigration agency ICE and spoke out against divisions in the migration debate.
Meanwhile, deputy AfD leader Sven Tritschler defended the ICE's tough actions and called for consistent action against illegal migration in Germany.
Several AfD state associations are calling for deportation policies to be tightened with their own units that have parallels to the US immigration authorities.
AfD politician Kay Gottschalk exchanged views with ex-ICE chief Gregory Bovino about whether mass deportations were also possible in Europe.
Berlin. AfD leader Tino Chrupalla has sharply criticized US President Donald Trump over his migration policy. In his weekly video address, Chrupalla particularly spoke out against the actions of the US immigration authorities ICE. He is met with clear opposition within his own party.
“Anyone who wants to regulate migration better must not divide, but must seek broad support,” said Chrupalla. “It’s not enemy images, but understanding that unites citizens.”
The extremely harsh crackdown by the immigration agency ICE contributed to Trump's policies becoming less popular in recent months. The situation escalated last December. To implement the rigorous deportation policy, the Department of Homeland Security sent thousands of ICE forces, some armed and masked, to the state of Minnesota. At the beginning of January, 37-year-old Renée Good was shot during an ICE operation. At the time, the government described the officer's actions as self-defense. However, the video recordings that became public after the incident gave a different impression.
On January 24, 2026, 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed during another operation by federal agents in Minneapolis. The US government portrayed the shooting as self-defense, even though, according to video footage, he did not appear to pose an acute threat to the emergency services. The acts caused considerable criticism of the US government's actions across the country.
On the occasion of Chrupalla's criticism of ICE, deputy AfD leader Sven Tritschler defended the actions of the American immigration authorities on Sunday. “Anyone who believes that a change in asylum and migration is somehow ‘cosy’ and without unpleasant images on television is on the wrong boat,” Tritschler told the portal “The Pioneer”. “In this respect, criticism of ICE is inappropriate.”
AfD state associations for tougher migration course
In his video address, Chrupalla referred to a survey by the US broadcaster Fox News from September, according to which the actions of the immigration authority ICE were met with majority rejection. “We have to unite, not divide,” demanded the AfD leader. In doing so, he criticized the implementation of US deportation policy under Trump without fundamentally questioning his migration policy goals.
Tritschler expressly contradicted this assessment. “I would like German authorities to take similarly consistent action against illegals, and I am sure that a large part of the AfD sees it similarly,” he said. In fact, several AfD state associations also advocate a much tougher migration course.
The AfD's election program in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania talks about its own “repatriation police” against illegal migration and smuggling. The demand evokes associations with the US immigration agency ICE. According to its election program, the AfD Saxony-Anhalt is planning a “deportation task force” with extensive powers.
And the Bavarian AfD parliamentary group had already decided on the goal of setting up an “asylum, search and deportation group” (AFA) at its meeting in January. Party leader Katrin Ebner-Steiner explained at the time that the new unit should definitely have parallels to ICE.
Individual AfD politicians also maintain contact with the former head of the US border guard, Gregory Bovino. After the two incidents involving fatal shootings of US citizens by border guards in Minneapolis, Bovino was removed as border patrol commander and given early retirement.
AfD politician seeks advice from ex-ICE boss
Regardless of this, AfD member of the Bundestag Kay Gottschalk sought advice from Bovino. At a “remigration summit” in Portugal at the end of May, which was attended by right-wing activists, influencers and politicians from all over Europe, he asked whether such mass deportations could also be carried out in Europe. “Absolutely,” Bovino replied in a video that Gottschalk posted on the X platform. “I’m just a phone call away.”
However, there is agreement between Chrupalla and Tritschler when it comes to criticizing Trump's foreign policy. Before taking office, the US President promised to “end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours”. But “at halftime the war is still raging,” said Chrupalla. “And not only that. Trump has started a war against Iran that threatens to become his legacy.”
Chrupalla also blamed Trump's policies for his recent defeats in the US midterm elections. Americans “voted for peace and social security” in 2024. Instead, military conflicts burdened the population. “Wars lead to high costs of living and death on both sides.”
Tritschler shared this assessment. “We certainly agree that unnecessary wars did not make Trump more popular and contributed a lot to the result of the midterms,” said the AfD vice-president.
According to Chrupalla, with their vote in the midterm elections, US citizens “demanded a peace policy so that life becomes safe and affordable.” Trump must now follow this demand in order to save his legacy.
