German Migration Chief Quits ‘for Personal Reasons’ Amid Refugee Crisis

A migration expert at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, Jean-Christophe Dumont, said that it’s costlier up front to integrate refugees than other categories of immigrants, because they often need language and vocational training as well as treatment for physical injuries or psychological trauma.

Setting up of registration centres at the external borders of the EU will help the authorities to identify those refugees who have a chance for asylum in the EU and to deport the others even before entering the EU, he said.

The Hungarian government, meanwhile, took out an advertisement in the Monday edition of Lebanon’s An-Nahar newspaper, warning that tough action awaits people who try to enter Hungary illegally.

Mohamad, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, voiced resentment at the focus on Syria. “Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has approved this request”, the ministry said in a statement.

Some of the dissenters also worry that anything decided on the emergency relocation of the 120,000 asylum seekers – which comes on top of an already agreed move of 40,000 people out of Greece and Italy – will set a precedent for a permanent redistribution scheme being sought by Brussels.

But de Maizière said the language has been changed so that Germany would withdraw benefits only after an initial ruling on an individual’s asylum claim and that it would take effect only if an applicant was officially rejected.

Zetsche, Daimler’s CEO, has been among the most bullish about the migrants’ positive impact, saying at the Frankfurt auto show this week that anyone who has managed to surmount the obstacles to make it to Germany from the Middle East or Africa has obviously got what it takes to work for him. The new legislation would also make it easier to create housing for refugees by loosening construction regulations, he said.

Then, a war-hit Europe was more interested in trying to reconstruct their own damaged countries than the plight of refugees. After the quotas were filled, he said refugees should be rescued but then removed from Europe and sent to off-continent safety zones.

His plan, however, appeared to divide the German government.

A large proportion of those arriving wanted to apply for asylum in Germany because of its strong economy and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s welcoming attitude toward refugees. After resting a few hours at an aid station – where local volunteers offered food, drink and new sneakers – the bedraggled travelers continued walking to the train station.

The migrant influx to Germany has risen sharply again, days after the introduction of border controls, with police counting 9,100 irregular entries on Wednesday, up from about 6,000 the previous day.

Sweden, which previous year received 80,000 asylum seekers, second highest in the European Union behind Germany, also views the newcomers as a net gain, though up-front costs may be stiff. More than 500,000 people have arrived on Europe’s shores since January, according to data from the United Nations. The vast majority want to reach Germany.