Refugee Policy Paper

In Germany, the Catholic Church has a portion of the population consisting of 25.2 million. The Protestant Church, has 24.5 million members. The two churches make up more than three-fifths of the population. The Muslims number is approximately 4 million, with 226,000 Shia, 400,000 Alevis, and 2.6 million Sunnis. Germany has about 2,600 Islamic places of worship, including 150 traditional mosques (Germany, N.d.). Muslim populations continue to rise, especially with the conflict occurring in Syria which is displacing thousands of families. More than 6 billion euros are being set aside to house for 800,000 new refugee applicants this year. Germany is planning to take in 500,000 more for several years to come. This amount represents 1% of Germany’s population (Shubert, 2015). Not everyone in Germany is open to the idea of refugees coming into the nation and it is sparking up conflict between the citizens and the newcomers. When the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, informed the nation that they would be taking in this amount of refugees, Germans who strongly opposed this decision burnt down a refugee shelter that ended up hospitalizing many of the individuals taking refuge inside (Shubert, 2015). Taking in refugees into the country is forcing the people of strong national identity to come forth and combat the intake of lesser political identities in the refugees. This kind of national pride is being started by right-wing extremists who believe that bringing in so many

A refugee is a person who was forced to leave their country. Whether it be from warfare or natural disaster, their homes are no longer safe to live in, so they need to relocate elsewhere. Once someone sets foot on the journey of becoming a refugee, they become vulnerable and dependent with no sense of what the future will bring. In an attempt to accommodate them, first world countries with the resources necessary to assist these refugees, are struggling to determine whether or not they should step-in and help. Some argue that taking them in could come with excessive consequences, while others believe they could be assets. Although there may be a few consequences, they are outweighed by the benefits and undeniable severity of the situation.

Being a refugee could be an awful thing. At that moment in time it could be a bad thing but if you look on the brighter side of things, it could grow into something amazing. There are so many good things that could come out of being a refugee as well as bad.

In the final draft I will expand on each of the issues, by looking into more specific examples of both what different European countries are doing policy wise, as well as what the sentiment is among the refugees in the different areas of Europe. To fully be able to understand the conditions the refugees are facing I will be using other scholars ethnography work; One of those works being Katerina Rozakou’s piece regarding the management of refugees in Greece. As a result of that knowledge I will be able to come to an accurate conclusion as to what course of action should be taken in Europe as a whole, to deal with this ongoing

One of the many countries admitting refugees is Germany. The decision to let them in was made by German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. She decided to use what could be referred to as, “an open door policy.” Which basically meant that any Syrian refugees could enter the country without first having a background check or passport. This was meant to help get the refugees away from the war that was going on in their home country, and was to be a an act of charity from the German people to the refugees.

It is noted that, refugees and asylum seekers come to United States due to fear of persecution and also escape war in their country of origin. The main intention of refugees is protection of their family’s lives and therefore, they migrate to another country for the

As tension in Syria and the surrounding regions intensifies, more and more refugees are fleeing to Europe seeking asylum; however, the countries they are entering are experiencing many adverse side effects; such as, social unrest, sexual assaults, and terrorist attacks. It is unacceptable for the children in these nations to have to grow up in a nation they once called home and felt safe in but now no longer has that feeling. The same argument could be made for the refugees and that is why the current open door immigration policy that Angela Merkel has in effect must be remedied. The goal of a refugee is to escape war that they and their families can live safely without worry of being killed. Not to change the ways of the nation they are entering and treat the locals with disdain for their differences in ideology, dress, culture and even diet. The host nation of a large number of refugees should not have to change their way of life to accommodate those seeking refuge. It should be the other way around. Assimilation is the goal, not disintegration of native culture. A policy which allows radical Muslims to immigrate into the country and then face punishment only after the damage from their actions has been done is grossly illogical and insufficient for the preservation of a nation’s security. Preventative measures must be put in place.

Flocks of Middle Eastern immigrants flood the shores of Europe in an attempt to escape the horrible conditions they find themselves facing in their homelands and this has lead many countries to face some tough decisions concerning how to handle this influx of refugees.While many countries are increasing the amount of refugees permitted to take shelter in their country, others are blocking these immigrants from being able to enter. In response to this massive movement of Middle Eastern residents, the United States government is trying to find measures to assist other countries in this troubling time. The most likely ways to help refugees is through monetary donations and an increased refugee quota. Even though refugees must pass extensive background

The immigration of refugees has been a recurring problem around the world. They want to escape the terror that is in their country, and go through life threatening journeys to go to other countries because they believe that it is a safe place for them and their families. Most people see immigration as a recurring problem in the U.S., as Americans fear that more, and more jobs will be taken. Some of them simply don’t want other races to assimilate with the American culture. In an article titled “Now Is the Time for Blame: Alan Kurdi and the Myth of a 'Generous' Canada” it says, “Germany has pledged to resettle 800,000 refugees by the end of 2015. Turkey has almost 2 million Syrian refugees. Iraq has 250,000. Egypt has over 130,000. Lebanon

This article starts off by stating a rather large number (104,460) of refugees/asylum seekers that have arrived in Germany in the past month. One of the reasons that Germany is so popular for refugees is that it has very liberal asylum laws and the country takes care of them when they do arrive. Numerous towns and cities especially in the state of Bavaria are requesting aid from the government due to the influx of refugees in the area. In fact, Germany is estimating that 800,000 people will file for asylum this year alone. Having that many people arriving has brought light to the apparent racism issue which Germany has faced with its four million strong Muslim population. This has manifested in attacks on refugee shelters as tensions are running

The French constitution promises to provide safety and protection to foreigners who were banished from their countries or who are seeking freedom. Of course, France’s government has held this promise by welcoming foreigners from many countries in recent decades. However, in the past few years, many things have changed and being of Europe’s biggest nations to accept those seeking refuge, France has proved to be one of the most unwilling. Out of approximately 4 million people who left Syria, only 7,000 (0.175%) have been given refugee status in France. According to an opinion poll, 56% of the French public is against authorities accepting more refugees. But some Parisians living near makeshift migrant camps urge France to do more. Imen, a 25-year-old

Across the globe, the widespread refugee crisis has been severely mishandled by both European and non-European countries. The failure to organize and create new tactics has resulted in a mass influx of refugees on the borders of European countries (United Nations, 2016). Likewise, even though the crisis continues to generate national turmoil for nations that have been subjected to manage more than their country can reasonably handle, hardly any new legislation or programs have been implemented to require a shared responsibility of refugees amongst “well off’ countries. My proposal, called the Treaty of Immigration and Refugee Reform (TIRR) contains ideas that would require countries to share the responsibility of refugee placements, while also keeping the best interests of their own nation at the heart of the conversation. TIRR is a treaty that would consider many characteristics of nations that take in refugees and would seek to provide positive outcomes for both the citizens of the nation, and the fleeing refugees. For instance, TIRR would consider country size and environmental impacts, labor availability and tax subsidy prospects, population size, national poverty levels, and assimilation predictions when considering refugee allocations; by using these details we would be increase positive outcomes for all parties involved. Furthermore, since the treaty must be a “living” work that fluctuates with refugee emergencies, it requires a committee to constantly reevaluate

This issue was chosen due to its scope. The Syrian refugee crisis is among a list of issues that will not only shape the world in 2016 but also dominate news outlets in upcoming years. Because of the despairing situation, many governments are struggling to find ways to handle the rush of individuals seeking asylum, for the fact that it seems the crisis is worsening. In addition, the media coverage on the topic sparked my interest and led me to research information because I had no idea what was occurring and the detriment of the issue.

Since 2011, Syria has been engaged in a Civil War with protestors against the government and members of the extremist group ISIS, and approximately 7.6 million people have been displaced from their homes (usnews.com 2015). As the conflict destroys more homes and livelihoods each year, an increasing number of civilians have been forced to leave Syria and try to find safety elsewhere. Already a contentious issue, the Syrian refugee crisis has awakened tensions, both economic and social as debate erupts over what to do with the refugees.In response to the crisis, while some countries like Germany have pledged to help the refugees, (New Statesman 2015 1) only 2,340 have been admitted. Clearly, more needs to be done in order to help the refugees. Although there are economic and population concerns to be considered, the humanitarian conflict that faces the refugees and solutions already available are reason enough for Europe to increase the numbers of Syrian refugees allowed in.

The European refugee crisis began in 2015, when a rising number of refugees and migrants made the journey to the European Union (EU) to seek asylum. Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. According to the data that was shown in Business Standard and also confirmed by BBC News, the top ten nations which account for 90% of the sea arrivals in 2015 were: Syria (49%), Afghanistan (21%), Iraq (8%), Eritrea (4%), Pakistan, Nigeria and Somalia (2 %), Sudan, Gambia and Mali (1%). Also the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees confirms that the top three nationalities of refugees are Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi. Of the refugees and migrants arriving in Europe by sea in 2015, 58% were men, 17% women and 25% children. (Wright, 2015). According to Eurostat, EU member states received over 1.2 million first time asylum applications in 2015, 4 countries (Germany, Hungary, Sweden, and Austria) received around two-thirds, while Latvia received a very small part of them.