ABSTRACT
The debate on the purpose and practices of deportation detention in Germany not only represents partisan political conflicts, it is also linked to a value-based divide within German society: on one side, individuals and organizations advocating an open, rights-centered approach to migration, on the other side, actors invoking sentiments of xenophobia and nationalism. Both camps refer to value-driven concepts like the rule of law and a sense of justice when arguing their positions. This chapter attempts to further explore these arguments and analyze the underlying values. Through an analysis of the portrait of deportation detention in the German news media, I set out to answer the following questions: do descriptions of the context in which deportation detention is implemented differ, depending on different groups of actors? Are the values these actors refer to when talking about deportation detention similar or different? Finally, do they understand the same thing when talking about specific values?
