EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMANY German border town tries to cope with refugee influx

Record ID: 145743

  • Title: EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMANY German border town tries to cope with refugee influx
  • Date: 29th July 2015
  • Summary: PASSAU, GERMANY (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF LOCAL EVENTS HALL ADVERTISED ON THE INTERNET AS BEING "IDEAL FOR CABARET, CONCERTS, THEATRE PRESENTATIONS, MEETINGS AND EXHIBITIONS" WITH A SURFACE OF 800 SQUARE METRES FOR "UP TO 1,500 PEOPLE STANDING," NOW USED TO REGISTER MIGRANTS AFTER THEIR BORDER CROSSING FROM AUSTRIA TWO POLICEMEN WEARING RUBBER GLOVES SPEAKING T
  • Embargoed: 13th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8TFZ2I2EF6E9TEEYD902N3Z9U
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: As record numbers of migrants make their way to Germany and communities increasingly resort to housing them in tents, the Bavarian city of Passau converted its local events hall to a registration centre on Wednesday (July 29).
    Passau, a town with a population of 49,000 located on the border with Austria, has seen a dramatic rise of refugees, according to a police spokesman.
    "As of the end of July, we had around 25,000 illegal immigrants for the district of Passau alone," said Frank Koller, police commissioner for Germany's federal police in nearby Freyung.
    "At the beginning of the year, illegal border crossings amounted to around 100 to 150 people a day. In May and June, there was an increase to 300 illegal immigrants a day and now in July, the numbers are already above 500 on some days," Koller said.
    He added that "the people who arrive here are first registered which means that we check their passports. We then put them into the police register. Their data is checked against a manhunt database."
    Once the migrants are provided with food and the police registration is completed, "they are being forwarded to an initial reception centre in Deggendorf," Koller said.
    Passau's local hall, advertised on the Internet as being "ideal for cabaret, concerts, theatre presentations, meetings and exhibitions," is now a temporary home for families, some with small children and young men such as Hesham Alshtewi.
    The 27-year-old from the Syrian capital Damascus said he travelled to Germany via Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria "and finally Germany. I want to stay here and continue with my life. I have a lot to do here if it is possible," he said.
    More than twice as many refugees are expected in Germany this year than the 200,000 who sought shelter here last year.
    Of the 85,394 arrivals in the first quarter alone, most came from Kosovo, Syria, Serbia, Albania, Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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