Although overall violent crime in Germany remains below its 2007 peak, anti-immigrant activists and far-right politicians have seized on violent crimes committed by migrants. They argue that Ms. Merkel’s relatively welcoming policy toward refugees from the Middle East and Africa poses a threat to the country’s safety, as well as to its national identity. Prosecutors argued that the killer had been jealous after his victim broke up with him several weeks earlier. Because migrants under age 18 are treated as juveniles in Germany, they are afforded better benefits, including access to schooling and protection from deportation until they become adults. This has led many young men to enter the country without documents and lie about their ages.

Source: New York Times September 03, 2018 09:45 UTC