Germany tightens rules for asylum seekers

[simple1]

A genuine refugee is someone who cannot return to their country. How long depends on a lot of things. Those who have opposed the Assad regime will probably not be able to return as long as he is in power.

Thousands of people are displaced because of the situation in places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them do not give a tinker's damned who is in power; they would simply like to go home. They have no strong political leanings. The genuine refugees, however, cannot return. Sometimes it is just a matter of perception rather than reality by the existing gov't, but the threat of persecution is real.

Immediate family members are conferred with refugee status as a matter of course. In different countries the degree of retaliation varies, but usually family members also suffer. It is not uncommon for men to go first and women and children to follow. In some cases, the men may face execution and fleeing is the only option.

I believe that someone has posted some statistics that show about 40% are genuine refugees. That would mean 60% are not. The problem, of course, is that it can be difficult to repatriate those who do not meet the criteria of being a refugee.

statistics that show about 40% are genuine refugees. That would mean 60% are not.

There's the rub. The 60% that are not are poisoning opinion against "refugees" in general. Certainly I would not be coming on here to say that they should not be allowed to leave Turkey if I knew that only genuine refugees were going.

By their actions they are setting back goodwill towards refugees, probably for decades.

That is very true. That is why there is a need for screening and it needs to be done in the country of first asylum and as quickly as possible.

Therein lies the rub as UNHCR in Turkey is currently under resourced and underfunded, thereby those seeking assessment are currently on a backlog of up to three years. In addition refugees in Turkey are not legally permitted to work, the vast majority do not have access to UNHCR refugee camps and must rent somewhere to live; all of which are push factors driving those who have some remaining money to travel to EU countries.

BTW from a UN Refugee Convention standpoint is Turkey actually a "country of first asylum"?

[Scott]

Turkey is not a full signatory to the Conventions and has what is referred to as geographical limitations for refugees. It generally upholds the right not to repatriate people, but the guarantees are not in place, so technically, I would say it is NOT a country of first asylum. Turkey is not unlike Thailand in its approach to refugees.