Germany Buckles: Angela Merkel Orders New Border Controls

While the German government was previously willing to welcome hundreds of thousands of Middle-Eastern refugees with open arms, it seems that even they are buckling under the pressure of the migrant crisis. Over the weekend, Germany reinstated identity checks along their border and cut off railways that led into the country from Austria. Their decision marks a temporary end to the passport-free travel to Germany that is enjoyed by EU citizens.

Their decision arrived a day before EU ministers were supposed to meet and figure out what to do with the thousands of refugees that are already in Europe. The magnitude of the crisis grows by the day, as Germany’s Vice Chancelor reassessed the number of migrants that are heading for their borders. “There are many signs that Germany this year will take in not 800,000 refugees, as forecast by the interior ministry, but one million.”

Germany isn’t alone in their decision to clamp down on their formerly open borders. Austria, Slovakia, and the Netherlands have all instated new border checks, and Denmark has announced that they will no longer accept any more refugees. The Prime Minister of Hungary has even ordered the construction of a 108 mile barbed wire fence along his nation’s border, as well as the criminal prosecution of any illegal immigrants. “Illegal border crossings will no longer be misdemeanors but felonies punishable with prison terms or bans.” One by one, the nations of Europe are locking down their borders in the face of the migrant crisis.