Refugee flows endure in Germany despite border checks
Rolling hills give way to the fog-shrouded Alpine peaks towering ominously over the newest German migrant flashpoint. Refugees were undeterred by Berlin's announcement to impose tighter border checks and slow down the flow of people entering the country. Federal police said that around 2,000 migrants have crossed into the southern state of Bavaria since Germany announced Sunday it was temporarily closing its border with Austria.
On Monday alone about 43 suspected people smugglers were detained, most of whom were captured on Austrian highways. The new measures are intended to provide relief to the Bavarian state capital, Munich, where around 63,000 migrants have reached the city by rail since Aug. 31.
Now police stationed in small border towns, such as picturesque Freilassing, are catching refugees before they even reach the urban centers. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman insisted Monday that the country was not slamming its doors to refugees but argued that the new measures were needed to restore order to the asylum process. The imposition of border checks has indeed slowed the influx of refugees.
The scene in Munich was bustling but not chaotic, as the mainly Syrian newcomers recounted harrowing journeys they experienced in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Hungary and Austria before arriving to Germany. Mohammed, a 40-year-old mechanic from Damascus, looked exhausted as he rubbed his hazel eyes and queued for a refugee bus. "In Hungary they forced us into camps, took fingerprints – we had to escape," he said.
More than 100,000 asylum seekers arrived in Germany in August, and nearly as many have already arrived by train in the first two weeks of this month. After tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Munich in just two weeks, Germany's government abruptly re-introduced border controls with other Schengen states on Sunday. Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands swiftly followed suit, and other countries said they were monitoring the situation to determine whether they need to do so as well. Most refugees are aiming to reach more prosperous EU countries, namely Germany and Sweden.
On Monday alone about 43 suspected people smugglers were detained, most of whom were captured on Austrian highways. The new measures are intended to provide relief to the Bavarian state capital, Munich, where around 63,000 migrants have reached the city by rail since Aug. 31.
Now police stationed in small border towns, such as picturesque Freilassing, are catching refugees before they even reach the urban centers. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman insisted Monday that the country was not slamming its doors to refugees but argued that the new measures were needed to restore order to the asylum process. The imposition of border checks has indeed slowed the influx of refugees.
The scene in Munich was bustling but not chaotic, as the mainly Syrian newcomers recounted harrowing journeys they experienced in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans, Hungary and Austria before arriving to Germany. Mohammed, a 40-year-old mechanic from Damascus, looked exhausted as he rubbed his hazel eyes and queued for a refugee bus. "In Hungary they forced us into camps, took fingerprints – we had to escape," he said.
More than 100,000 asylum seekers arrived in Germany in August, and nearly as many have already arrived by train in the first two weeks of this month. After tens of thousands of migrants have arrived in Munich in just two weeks, Germany's government abruptly re-introduced border controls with other Schengen states on Sunday. Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands swiftly followed suit, and other countries said they were monitoring the situation to determine whether they need to do so as well. Most refugees are aiming to reach more prosperous EU countries, namely Germany and Sweden.
Last Update: September 15, 2015 20:23