As migration spikes, Germany attempts to crack down on illegal immigration
As migration spikes, Germany attempts to crack down on illegal immigration
Germany is levying tougher legal sentences for trafficking as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration. Official statistics find the number of people entering Germany without permission hit a high in September.
The immigration issue has driven gains in regional elections for a far-right party in Germany — Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
On the southern border of the German state of Saxony near the Czech Republic, the rural hilly area is populated with far more pine trees than people. On a rainy Tuesday night, 40 to 50 locals have gathered in Hermsdorf Village Square. Speakers voice anger that nearby apartments might be used to house migrants.
“For me, the young migrants who come here, they are armies. I feel so powerless,” said Anja, a part of the group. “We, as a people, are the solution.”
The number of people caught entering Germany illegally this year is set to be the highest since 2016.
Just 10 minutes from Hermsdorf, the pull of Germany is strong. Muhammad Abdoum, who has successfully sought asylum, lives in an old youth hostel with around 50 other Syrians. Men like him come here to build a life, he said — not detract from the lives of others.
“Everyone here has a dream, coming here. Everyone is dreaming about his children, about a safer place,” he said.
Up the road, families race down a toboggan ride in Altenberg town. It looks idyllic, but the local mayor, Markus Wiesenberg from the Christian Democrat party, is uneasy. New arrivals put a strain on services, he said.
“Sometimes, 50 migrants a day in this small spot on the map — that concerns people,” said Wiesenberg.
Gerald Knaus chairs the European Stability Initiative think tank, the brains behind a contentious deal where the European Union effectively paid Turkey to take migrants. He believes it’s time to pursue such agreements again.
“It’s not about dumping refugees or asylum seekers. It’s giving countries chances for legal mobility in a way they don’t have today,” he said. “Allowing legal work migration, making it easier for people to travel, making it easy for people to study.”
Migration has, of course, sparked furious debate here before. Germany is still absorbing big numbers: It’s taken more than a million Ukrainians and is actively trying to attract skilled foreign workers because of acute labor shortages. But it’s the rise in uncontrolled illegal migration that’s causing Berlin and the EU a huge political headache.
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