10 German municipalities want to assist Afghan refugees

Ten municipalities in Germany, including major cities such as Potsdam and Heidelberg, have applied to the Ministry of Interior for permission to house Afghan refugees.

“Mr. Minister of Interior Horst Seehofer, with this letter, I would like to express to you that we are ready to receive Afghan workers, their families, and other Afghan refugees in need of protection as a municipality,” said Mayor of Potsdam, Mike Schubert, in a letter addressed to Seehofer.

The Mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Würzner, also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Wilfried Kretschmann, expressing his willingness to accept Afghan migrants voluntarily. “The photographs that are reaching the globe from Afghanistan these days are truly upsetting, revealing yet again that we need to help,” Würzner said.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior makes decisions on asylum seekers’ admittance to Germany. The distribution of asylum applicants within the country is discussed between the federal and state administrations. The federal and state governments share responsibility for the accommodation and basic necessities of asylum seekers brought to Germany.

Germany is preparing to receive more than 10,000 Afghan refugees. 5,347 Afghans have been brought to Germany thus far.