Author: bbc.com
US President Donald Trump recently cited the immigration row in Germany to defend his own controversial policies, but how similar are the two nations when it comes to migrants?
“We don’t want what is happening with immigration in Europe to happen with us!” Mr Trump said.
Mrs Merkel is in the middle of a serious domestic row within her coalition government over immigration policy.
Who are the migrants and why are they coming?
Germany:
An estimated 1.2 million asylum seekers entered Germany during the migrant crisis of 2015-2016, more than half from war-torn Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ongoing violence and crippling poverty are the main reasons for migrants from the Middle East to seek asylum in Europe.
Among Syrian and Iraqi asylum seekers, one phrase commonly heard on the migration route north was “Europe invited us” or “Merkel invited us”.
United States:
Migrants in the US are also largely fleeing armed conflict and extreme poverty, as well as gang-related violence.
Most are from Mexico and what is known as Central America’s Northern Triangle region – Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
An estimated 10% of the population in the Northern Triangle has fled to other countries due to the dangerous conditions.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44525628
