Policy Frames on Spousal Migration in Germany Regulating Membership, Regulating the Family

Laura Block asks how liberal democracies manage to restrict migration in spite of liberal constraints. She analyses the political debates surrounding spousal migration policies from 2005–2010 in Germany and reveals government strategies that restrict spousal migration while staying within the discursive realm of individual rights. By circumscribing and scrutinising both the membership status necessary to access the right to family protection and the family ties in question, restricting spousal migration is legitimised.