"Imaginary Success": Gloomy Facts Behind Decrease in Asylum Seekers in Germany

© REUTERS / Michael DalderMigrants are escorted by German police to a registration centre, after crossing the Austrian-German border in Wegscheid near Passau, Germany, November 1, 2015
Migrants are escorted by German police to a registration centre, after crossing the Austrian-German border in Wegscheid near Passau, Germany, November 1, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The number of asylum applications in Germany has recently declined, and the country's Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière expressed his satisfaction with the trend. However, member of the Left Party Ulla Jelpke is critical of the current tendency.

Recent figures showing that the number of asylum applications in Germany has gone down is "a purely imaginary success," German politician and political analyst Ulla Jelpke told Sputnik Germany, adding that there are systematic shortcomings when it comes to decisions on asylum cases.

The politician referred to a high number of complaints filed by migrants after their applications were rejected. These are people from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria who fled from war and violence, the politician said.

"The [number of complaints] has doubled in 2017 alone. We are now facing 272,645 new lawsuits, and we still have 80,000 old ones. In this way, the victims try to get justice," the analyst explained.

READ MORE: Berlin Fears a Devastating Wave of Migrants Amid EU Reform Plans — Reports

The complaints are related to the fact that many asylum seekers fear for their families.

"When it comes to Afghan refugees, the problem is associated with the Federal Government's claims that there are many safe areas [in the country], but they can't prove that," Jelpke said.

The politician went on to say that the decrease in the number of asylum seekers is closely connected with numerous rejections. It is a scandal that some people seek to represent these numbers as a success, the politician concluded.

READ MORE: Number of Asylum-Seekers in Germany Dropped to 186,000 in 2017 — Minister

Earlier, Germany's Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maizière, positively assessed the work of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). In his speech at the end of 2017, he mentioned that 68,000 asylum cases still remained open, but this was huge progress compared to early 2017 when there were 434,000 of them pending, the official argued.

Germany has been struggling to manage a massive refugee crisis, which escalated in 2015, with hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in EU member states.

In 2017, the number of asylum applications significantly decreased compared to previous years.

According to the Ministry of Interior, around 187,000 people applied for asylum in Germany in the first 10 months of 2017. During the same period last year, there were about 694,000 such applications.

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