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EUROPE

MigrantsinGermanyFleeingPoverty
FindOnlyaTicketHome
ByKATRINBENNHOLD

SEPT.28,2015

BAMBERG,GermanyWhenHasaniKleartand173otherswerebusedin
fromasylumhomesacrossBavaria,thefirstofabout1,500migrantstomove
intonewlyconvertedarmybarracks,theyhadbeenfullofexcitement:freshly
paintedapartments,sprawlinglawns,astateoftheartplayground,evena
basketballcourt.
FewpaidattentiontothesignwritteninGermanattheentrance:Arrival
andRepatriationFacility.
Aretheybuildingaschoolforourchildren?22yearoldMirela,whois
fromKosovoandwouldgiveonlyherfirstname,askedhopefullyasshe
exploredthegroundswithherhusband,abuilder,andherdaughter.
Butbylunchtimeontheirseconddaythere,thenewshadspread.Mr.
Kleart,a20yearoldstudentfromAlbania,hadbeendeniedasylumthat
morning,justtwohoursafterpleadinghiscase.Soonhewouldbeonaplane
home.
Mr.Kleartsapplicationwasthefirsttobeprocessed,andthespeedy
conclusioncuttingaprocesstoafewhoursfromwhathadbeentaking
monthssentaclearsignaltothosewhodidnotyetunderstandwhythey

hadbeenbroughttothemedievaltownofBamberg:Here,inaformerUnited
StatesmilitarybaseinnorthernBavaria,hopeendsforthosewhocameto
Germanynottosavetheirlives,butforabetterlife.
Thisiswherewegroupasylumseekerswithnearzerochancesof
success,saidJakobDaubner,whomanagesthecenter,thesecondofitskind
toopeninGermanyslargeststatethismonth.
EvenasGermanyisassemblinganefficientinfrastructuretowelcome
hundredsofthousandsofrefugeesfleeingconflict,ithasbeguninstallingan
equallyefficientsystemforsendinghomepeoplewhohavecomefrompoor
butsafecountriestoseekjobs.About10,000wererepatriatedbetween
JanuaryandJuly,morethanalloflastyear,andthepaceisquickening.
AsChancellorAngelaMerkelputitthismonth,Thosewhodonotcome
becauseofpoliticalpersecutionorwarbutforeconomicreasonswillnotbe
abletostay.
Therearemany.Morethanhalfamillionmigrantshavearrivedin
Germanythisyear,and42percentofthe256,938whohavealreadyapplied
forasylumhavecomenotfromIraqorSyriabutfromEurope.Albania,
Kosovo,MacedoniaandSerbiahaveissueswithpoverty,joblessnessand
corruptionbutaredeemedsafe.Withfewoptionstoapplyforworkvisasin
Germany,migrantsfromthewesternBalkansoftenclaimasylum.
Thesesocalledeconomicmigrantsstrainanalreadyoverburdened
systematatimeofgreatneedforthoseseekingrefugefromwarin
Afghanistan,IraqandSyriaandturmoilelsewhere.Indeed,withthe
continuingflowofalargenumberofpeoplefromtheBalkans,German
officialssaytheyanticipateasmanyasamillionmigrantsthisyearoverall.
Thenumberofmigrantshasalsodrivenupresentmentamongsome
Germans,whoseethemasopportunistswhoaredivertingresources.

Bavariastworepatriationcentersareemblematicofanewnationalpush
todiscourageeconomicmigrantsfromapplyingforasylum.Afederaldraft
law,expectedtobepassedinOctober,plansamongothermeasurestoadd
Albania,KosovoandMontenegrotoanofficiallistofsocalledsafecountries
placestowhichmigrantscanbereturnedwithoutfearingfortheirlives.
(BosniaHerzegovina,MacedoniaandSerbiawereincludedlastyear.)
Inexchange,BerlinistalkingtogovernmentsinthewesternBalkans
aboutopeningachannelforlabormigration.Germanyanticipatesashortage
ofupto2.4millionworkersby2020,accordingtoFrankLaczkoofthe
InternationalOrganizationforMigration.
Toreducethenumberofrejectedasylumseekersremaininginthe
countryillegally,thosewhorefusetoleavevoluntarilymaynolongerbe
notifiedwhenthepolicewillescortthemtotheairportandoutofGermany.
Andthecurrentmonthlyallowanceof140euros,orabout$155,forasingle
adultwithapendingasylumapplicationcouldsoonbepaidoutmostlyin
goods,liketoiletries,ratherthanincash,andforonlyonemonth.
Onemajorchangehasalreadybeencarriedout.SinceAugust,anyone
whomakeswhatisdeemedtobeabaselessasylumclaimcouldbebarred
fromreenteringnotjustGermany,buttheEuropeanUnionspassportfree
Schengenarea,foruptofiveyears.
Thisisnotaboutbadvs.goodrefugeeseverybodygetstheirrightful
procedure,Mr.Daubnersaid.Butweneedtospeeduptheprocesstofreeup
resourcesforthosewhoneedthemmost.Theeasiestwaytodothatisto
differentiatebycountryoforigin.
InBamberg,thelocalnewspaperhasalreadynicknamedthenewsitethe
WestBalkancenter.Otherasylumcenterspoppingupacrossthecountry
havesignsinArabic.Here,allnoticesinthecafeteriaareinAlbanian.
ThenametagsonapartmentsstillbeartheidentitiesofAmericansoldiers

wholeftlastyear:Halliday,Garcia,Tucker.Thefamilieslivingherenoware
calledShala,Bajram,Haskovic.
Housedinthepastelcolorbarracksnexttothemarebranchofficesofall
theauthoritieswitharoleintheasylumprocess:theSocialMinistry,which
paysouttheallowancethemigrationoffice,whichprocessestheasylum
claimstheforeignersbureau,inchargeofrepatriationthecourts,incaseof
anappealandthepolice.Thegoalistocompletethewholeprocessindaysor,
atmost,weeks.
Whenmigrantsarrive,theyareusheredfromofficetoofficefor
fingerprinting,digitalphotographsandmedicalscreening.Themost
importantappointment,theasyluminterview,aoneshotchanceatmakinga
pitchtostayinGermany,takesplaceonthefirstfloor.
TheofficewhereSaschaWalterconductstheinterviewsisbare.Onhis
deskaretheessentials:acomputer,aheadset,softwarefordictationandabox
oftissues.Mr.WaltersofficialtitleisDecider.Hedecideswhetheranasylum
seekergetstostayinGermany.
MyfriendscallmethebouncerofGermany,hejoked,butthenturned
serious.Thereareoftentears.ButIhavetoapplythelaw.
Somefamiliescomebackeveryyear,ofteninthewintermonths,toescape
thecoldbackhome,hesaid.Othersopenlycomeforthebenefits.
Butthatisaminority,Mr.Waltersaid.Most,likeMr.Kleart,theyoung
Albanianwhohadhisclaimrejectedthatmorning,wanttostay.Hehadcome
toMr.Waltersofficeat9:30a.m.Cleanshavenandshy,hesaidhehad
finishedhighschoolinAlbaniain2013buthadrunoutofmoneytwoyears
intohispursuitofaninformationtechnologydegree.
InJune,hemadehiswaytoGreeceandthentookaplanetoNuremberg.
HewantedtostudyandworkinGermany,heexplainedthroughan

interpreter.Hisparentsneedhissupport.
Theinterviewtook55minutesandwouldhavebeenevenquickerhadthe
dictationsoftwarenotactedup.Noneofthereasonstograntrefugee
protectionorasylumapplied:persecutiononthebasisofreligion,race,
nationality,politicalconvictionormembershipinaparticularsocialgroup.
Anhourlater,Mr.WalterhadtypeduphisreportandinformedMr.
Kleartthathisclaimhadbeenrejected.Hehadsevendaystoappealbutwas
advisedtoacceptaticketandreturnvoluntarily.
Mr.Waltersboss,PeterImmeler,whorunstheonsiteoperationofthe
federalmigrationoffice,wherethenumberofdeciderswillsoonincreaseto60
fromtwo,saidtheproblemwasalackofoptionstoapplyforeconomic
migration.
Therearechannels,buttheyaretoonarrow,andtheasylumsystemis
usedascompensation,hesaid.
Sometrytogetarounditbyclaimingtheirlivesareindangerathome.
TheBajramfamily,fromMacedonia,saidthatasMuslimstheyfaced
discriminationineveryaspectoflifeandwereafraidthere.OneAlbanian
womansaidshehadfacedhorrificsexualabuse.
Othercommonstoriesincludefearingbloodrevenge,aformoftitfortat
justicestillusedbetweenfamiliesinpartsoftheBalkans,oranillnessthatis
nottreatableinthecountryoforigin.StillotherspretendtobeSyrian.But
manyunravelwhenpressed.
Mr.Waltersinterpreter,AntonColi,hasheardhisshareoffarfetched
talesorclumsyattemptsatclaimingrefugeeprotection.
Mr.Coli,whoarrivedinGermanyinthe1970sasthesonofanAlbanian
guestworker,hasworkedonover1,000asylumcasessince2014.Notasingle
oneofthemwassuccessful,hesaid.

Hefeltforhiscompatriots,hesaid,butrightnowtherearepeoplewho
needhelpmore.
Mr.ColiremembersatimewhenBosniansandKosovarsweretheSyrians
ofEurope.Thestoriesweredifferentthen,hesaid.Calledinasaninterpreter
duringapreviouspeakofasylumclaimsinthemid1990s,hesaid,hehearda
youngKosovarrecounthowhisentirefamilyhadbeenshotinfrontofhim.
SinceMr.Kleartsclaimwasrejected,morethan60migrantsinBamberg
havebeentoldtheyhavetoleave,Mr.Waltersaid.Thisweek,abuswilltake
thefirstgrouptotheMunichairportforarepatriationflighttoAlbania.
ImnotsayingthatweneedhelpliketheSyrians,MirelafromKosovo
said.Theyneedprotection.Childrenaredying.
Iftherewereagoodwaytoapplyforaworkvisa,thatiswhatherhusband
wouldhavedone,shesaid.Weappliedforasylumbecausethatswhat
everyonedoes.
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