Securitization of migration: The rising of AFD in Germany and Syrian refugee crisis

This study aims to examine how the party Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland-AfD) -which was established in 2013 as a neoliberal and Eurosceptic party- has constructed immigrants and Muslims as a security threat in its discourse after 2015. The process in which the party's political identity and leadership have changed from being neoliberal andEurosceptic to nationalist- anti-immigrant, will be discussed. In this study, this change which occurred in party's identity and cadre coinciding with the peak of Syrian Refugee Crisis in 2015, and how AfD turning this crisis into political tools by defining it as a security issue in order to reinforce its political legitimacy and success, will be problematized. AfD's pointing out migrants and Muslims as a threat was an important instrument in organizing the masses of the party and strengthening its political power. This situation was confirmed by the fact that they could enter the Federal Parliament in the national parliamentary elections of 2017, starting with election success in state parliaments. Therefore, in this study, it would be seen that, the party's anti-immigrant discourse has been the main driving force for its growing political success and legitimacy. Key Words: Germany, AfD, Syrian Refugee Crisis, Securitization of Migration.