The number of refugees in Germany has doubled: how it is perceived in the country

While the influx of Ukrainian refugees to Germany, as well as to other EU countries, has slowed down significantly, the number of migrants from other regions, in particular from the Middle East and Africa, is increasing. The German authorities report that cases of illegal crossing of the country’s border have increased.
During 2022, Germany granted asylum to about 1 million Ukrainians fleeing the war. In 2023, the flow of refugees from Ukraine decreased significantly. However, the total number of asylum seekers has increased (compared to the pre-crisis year 2021). Thus, in 2021, 190,000 foreigners applied for refugee status or protection in Germany, and in 2023, there were 350,000 such applications.
The police say that the number of refugees is increasing due to illegal migrants. In March, the number of illegal border crossings in Germany amounted to 7,079 cases, BILD reports. In April, the level of illegal migration increased to 7,531 cases. According to the data of the Federal Police, currently the number of illegal immigrants entering the territory of Germany continues to grow.
Such violations of the law by migrants and the rapid increase in the number of refugees provoke a deterioration in the attitude of Germans towards foreigners, which, in particular, can affect the attitude towards Ukrainians, who are currently one of the largest groups of migrants in Germany.
The other day, the non-acceptance of foreigners caused a scandal at one of Germany’s elite resorts, the island of Sylt. A group of young people chanted: “Deutschland den Deutschen, Ausländer raus” (“Germany – to the Germans, foreigners – away”). This slogan is popular among neo-Nazis. The incident happened on the terrace of the “Pony” bar.
“When I saw the video, I immediately thought that this cannot be true. If we had found out about this, the young people would have been expelled immediately. But then there were about 500 people on the open terrace. We are trying to find out who did it. They will blacklisted – they will be permanently banned from the facility,” said facility administrator Tim Becker.