Former Brandenburg Integration Official Quits SPD Over Policy Shift

Doris Lemmermeier resigns after 20 years, criticizing the transfer of integration responsibilities to the Interior Ministry as a dangerous political move.

Doris Lemmermeier, Brandenburg's former integration commissioner, has left the SPD after more than two decades, citing concerns over the party's direction on integration policy.
The new SPD/BSW coalition in Brandenburg has moved integration oversight from the Social Ministry to the Interior Ministry, a decision Lemmermeier strongly opposes.
Lemmermeier argues that the Interior Ministry, responsible for deportations and immigration enforcement, is ill-suited to handle integration efforts focused on inclusion, tolerance, and anti-discrimination.
She accuses the SPD of shifting to the right in migration policy, comparing the decision to actions expected from far-right parties like the AfD.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister Katrin Lange defended the change, stating that integration policy involves broader challenges beyond social issues, but acknowledged differing views with Lemmermeier.