Germany may consider tougher asylum policy as migrants pour in

 

BRANDENBURG – The administrative districts in the state of Brandenburg that surrounds Berlin said that they have exceeded their capacity to accommodate refugees and are pushing for a tougher asylum policy.

In the view of chairman of Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, Siegurd Heinze, too few migrants without prospects of staying or people who are obliged to leave the country are returned home.

“We can no longer explain all this to the people on the ground. The mood is tipping a bit,” Heinze told dpa. The counties, cities and municipalities in the state have been warning of excessive demands since last year.

The head of the district council called for a restriction of benefits in the absence of an asylum claim and a greater number of repatriations to the home country.

“There must be a stringent repatriation of people who are not entitled to asylum,” Heinze demanded. “In their case, cash payments must at least be minimized, preferably not granted at all.”

“If this continues, at some point we will no longer be able to accommodate everyone,” said Heinze, warning there would be “tent cities, gymnasiums and container solutions again.”
He spoke of a very tense situation and dwindling acceptance among local residents. “We can’t handle it much longer,” Heinze said.

The independent district administrator does not just consider accommodation to be a problem: “Our biggest problems are also capacities in day-care centres, schools and medical care,” Heinze said.

There are also more and more unaccompanied minors arriving. There are almost no more available places for them to stay, he warned. “Nothing is coming from the federal government to solve these problems.”