Germany overwhelmed by migrants, 12 of 16 federal states begin blocking refugees

Even while Germany’s left-wing federal government argues for the need for more immigration, the reality on the ground in the country’s federal states presents an entirely different picture. With Germany currently inundated with a mass amount of refugees from the war in Ukraine, coupled with a dramatic increase in migrants from Africa and the Middle East, 12 out of Germany’s 16 federal states are blocking further refugee intake, arguing they have no capacity left to absorb any more newcomers.

The German states that have closed their doors to refugees point to strained services, including kindergartens and schools; however, housing presents perhaps the greatest challenge. There are simply not enough shelters and homes to place the huge waves of people, with states like Baden-Württemberg seeing more arrivals than during the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, Remix News reports.

"Against the background of the high access numbers, 12 states have activated a block in the initial distribution system," said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior to the German RND media network newspapers on September 24.

"The burden on the federal states is resulting from the flight from Ukraine and general migration,” said the spokeswoman. “There is also currently an increase in the number of migrants on the Balkan route."

Four states are still accepting refugees, but these states are also pleading for help. Bavaria, for example, says that its housing capacity for refugees is at 102.8 per cent, meaning every spare bed is currently occupied, according to a report from media outlet RND.

An estimated 980,000 people have fled to Germany from Ukraine, and while the federal government passed these refugees on to the federal states, they are now turning to the government and demanding an end to the flows. Currently, Germany is seeing an average of 875 Ukrainian refugees entering the country every day. As Remix News previously reported, German states are also facing extreme burdens from an influx of non-European migrants along the Balkan route, and a leaked report has revealed that illegal immigration has risen by 47 per cent this year.