BERLIN, Germany: Numerous individuals from various corners of the globe gathered on a sunny morning this week outside a former mental health hospital in Berlin, seeking asylum in Germany.
Among them were two elderly women from Moldova and a young man from Somalia who sat together on a bench. Standing behind them were a group of five young Pakistanis engaged in lively chatter, alongside two pregnant women from Vietnam.
These newcomers form part of a substantial wave, with over 10,000 migrants applying for asylum in the German capital this year. This influx arrives at a time when Berlin faces challenges in providing adequate accommodation.
“The situation is not very favourable at the moment,” stated Sascha Langenbach, the spokesperson for the state office for refugee affairs in Berlin. “This is much more than we expected last year.”
The former mental health hospital in Berlin’s Reinickendorf neighbourhood was repurposed into the city’s asylum-seekers registration center in 2019, capable of housing up to 1,000 migrants. Yet, it is currently at full capacity. Officials have made efforts to address the issue by adding 80 beds in a church on the premises, but even this falls short.
Moreover, there are around 100 asylum shelters across Berlin, all of which are also operating at full capacity. In response to this overwhelming demand, Berlin’s state government plans to open up additional spaces, including a hangar at the former Tempelhof airport and a large tent at the asylum seekers’ registration center.
In addition to the asylum seekers, Berlin has also extended its support to 11,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled the conflict with Russia this year, further exacerbating the strain on resources.
However, the issue of limited space and financial resources is not unique to Berlin alone; it extends across Germany. Local and state officials have been urging for increased funding from the federal government to manage the influx effectively, but so far, their requests have not been fully met.
Between January and August, over 220,000 people have applied for asylum in Germany, primarily hailing from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Moldova, and Georgia. This figure is a notable decrease from the more than 1 million people who arrived in Germany during the 2015-16 period. Nonetheless, the country has taken in over 1 million Ukrainians since the outbreak of the war in 2022, granting them immediate residency status.
While Germans initially greeted asylum seekers and Ukrainian refugees warmly, the sentiment has shifted over time due to various challenges such as the COVID-19 crisis and rising prices. The far-right Alternative for Germany party has exploited these concerns, advocating for tighter immigration controls.
To address these mounting concerns, Germany has announced plans to heighten border controls along “smuggling routes” with Poland and the Czech Republic to deter irregular migrants. Additionally, Chancellor Olaf Scholz defended plans to halt migrants from entering the EU until their asylum chances have been thoroughly reviewed, criticizing the existing mechanisms for sharing the burden of asylum seekers among EU nations.
Despite the changing attitudes towards migrants in Germany, those who successfully reach and apply for asylum express gratitude for finding safety in the country. Individuals like Abdullah al-Shweiti from Syria and Mirbeycan Gurhan from Turkey, share their hopes for a better future and the opportunity to find employment in Germany.
Michael Elias, the head of the Tamaja company, which oversees the asylum registration center in Berlin, emphasizes that the influx of migrants from around the world reflects the multitude of crises plaguing our global society, including climate change and wars. Elias stresses the need for Germany to anticipate and prepare for the possibility of more people seeking refuge in the country.
