Germany is imposing tougher penalties for human trafficking as part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration. Official statistics show that the number of people entering Germany without permission hit a record high in September.
The immigration issue has led to gains in regional elections for a far-right party in Germany – Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
On the southern border of the German state of Saxony, close to the Czech Republic, there are far more pine trees than people in this rural, hilly area. On a rainy Tuesday evening, 40 to 50 locals have gathered in the village square of Hermsdorf. Speakers express anger that nearby apartments could be used to house migrants.
“For me, the young migrants who come here are an army. I feel so powerless,” said Anja, one of the group. “We as a people are the solution.”
This year, the number of people caught entering Germany illegally is set to be the highest since 2016.
Just 10 minutes from Hermsdorf, the pull of Germany is strong. Muhammad Abdoum, who has successfully applied for asylum, lives in an old youth hostel with around 50 other Syrians. Men like him come here to build a life, he says – not to disrupt the lives of others.
“Everyone here has a dream of coming here. Everyone dreams of their children, of a safer place,” he said.
Up the road, families race down a toboggan run in the town of Altenberg. It looks idyllic, but the local mayor, Markus Wiesenberg of the Christian Democratic Party, is uneasy. The new arrivals are putting a strain on services, he says.
“Sometimes 50 migrants a day in this small spot on the map – that worries people,” Wiesenberg said.
Gerald Knaus heads the European Stability Initiative think-tank, the brain behind a controversial deal in which the European Union effectively paid Turkey to take in migrants. He believes it’s time for such deals again.
“It’s not about dumping refugees or asylum seekers. It’s about giving countries opportunities for legal mobility in a way they don’t have today,” he said. “Allowing legal labour migration, making it easier for people to travel, making it easier for people to study.”
Migration has, of course, sparked fierce debate here before. Germany is still absorbing large numbers: It’s taken in more than a million Ukrainians and is actively trying to attract skilled foreign workers because of acute labour shortages. But it’s the rise of uncontrolled illegal migration that is causing Berlin and the EU a major political headache.
