This article begins by presenting the “migration act” adopted by the German federal government in June 2019. The act entails far-reaching changes in German residence and asylum law. Subsequently, some aspects of the debate on migration and work in Sozial.Geschichte Online are discussed. This is followed by a final section on how the legal changes are to be classified and assessed with regard to the relationship between migration and work. It is argued that the legal changes are characterized by neoliberal, exploitation-oriented strategies on the one hand, and by repressive, nationalist strategies on the other. It is further argued that the changes will likely aggravate the repression exercised against rejected asylum seekers.