Category: Berlin

The Problem

Many people have reasons for and against Merkel’s refugee policy, but I have no dispute with the very real need and relevancy of true refugee acceptance policies. War within several places, such as Afghanistan and Syria, have been fomented by a number of western countries for decades. They have covertly and overtly, aided and abetted, happily supplied arms and advisory personnel before installing local figureheads for a variety of reasons for their own benefit. Yet now many of the same ones, both citizens and politicians, are on the concern spectrum from sympathetic to outrage at the overwhelming influx people streaming into Europe or who need help in resettlement because of those ongoing events.

Germany is at the heart of the current situation literally and figuratively, after Merkel threw open Germany’s “doors” without forethought to having adequate systems in place to deal with results. It’s pointless trying guess why it was done without considering that, as a mostly inland country with only a northern coast, refugees would have to cross through others to the reach Germany, the perceived pinnacle of hope, leaving a swath of inadvertent disturbance in their wake. EU neighbors arguably but seriously and deservedly so have become exasperated with that reality, as Germany has latterly hurried to create contingency plans against the majority economic immigrants taking advantage of their offer.

Solutions?

In the scramble, and what is felt the need to cover any Ausländers coming to or in Germany (perhaps) lawmakers and policy pushers have now enacted new strictures or modified ones in place. I say, perhaps, because I don’t have access to copies of the change in guidelines, but many ex-pats are feeling the direct effects as interpreted by the Ausländerbehörde. The immigration office has always generated “horror” stories, with hundreds even thousands of forum threads and discussions of the frustrations caused and dehumanizing treatment by their unsmiling workers whose primary job is to say “No”. If you don’t believe that and/or object to that label, you don’t know German bureaucracy, where technically “Nein” is first reply on most any topic. Continue reading “Collateral Damage: Foreigner Casualties of Germany’s Refugee Policy”