High School
Worksheets
Crime and Young Immigrants in Germany - What Is the Connection?
Caption: Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany
Germany is a nation in Europe. It is bordered by many countries - Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Belgium, and Austria. Germany has the largest economy in Europe. It is the second most populated country there as well. As of 2013, it had a population of more than 80 million people. This included more than 6.8 million registered foreigners living there. The largest group of foreigners is the Turks; the next largest group comes from the former Yugoslavia.
Much of the foreign population is concentrated in certain city areas such as Westphalia, Baden-Wurtternberg, and Bavaria. Foreign residents play important roles in certain areas of the economy. Foreign residents pay more for taxes and insurance than natives. They usually have more children than native Germans as well.
The history of immigration to Germany has been an interesting one. In the 1960s, many foreigners came to West Germany from southern Europe. In the 1980s and 1990s, when the Eastern European communist governments fell apart, ethnic Germans from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Russia, and Romania came to Germany where they gained instant citizenship. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, thousands of people each year sought political asylum from places such as Sri Lanka, Lebanon, and West Africa.
Lukas's father was originally an immigrant from Russia. That move, according to Lukas, has benefited his family. His family loves living in Germany, working in Germany, and raising children in Germany. However, Lukas is observing a different view of immigrants of the twenty-first century. While Lukas's family had been welcomed and respected, many Germans no longer welcome immigrants. They are concerned that the immigrants only come to Germany to get benefits. In addition, there have been economic issues in Germany that are causing cuts to the welfare system, some of which is blamed on the cost of immigrants. New laws were developed regarding citizenship in order to limit the number who enter and stay.
