Chancellor Scholz Under Pressure to Curb Migration, Negotiates Support and Policies with German State Leaders

Chancellor Scholz works to secure consensus on increased state funding and reducing immigrant numbers while under the strain of conservative opposition and heightened anti-migrant sentiment in Germany.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz is meeting with the leaders of Germany's 16 states to discuss strategies to manage high numbers of migrants in Germany, including increasing state funding to reduce strain and potentially reduce the numbers of refugees they receive.
Conservative opposition leaders such as Hendrik Wüst, governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, are urging for measures to limit the number of irregular migrants, particularly those without a chance of obtaining asylum, insisting that reducing these numbers is key to better integration.
State leaders within Scholz's party, the SPD, are demanding increased financial assistance from the federal government to manage the costs of providing accommodation, care, and integration services for refugees.
The German government is enacting measures to alleviate pressure on states, such as temporary checks on the Polish, Czech, and Swiss borders, stiffer penalties for people smugglers, and legislation to expedite deportations of rejected asylum seekers.
The government is also seeking to negotiate agreements for countries to receive unsuccessful asylum seekers in exchange for opportunities for legal immigration, but these plans have garnered skepticism from Chancellor Scholz.