Germany

At the end of April, an Afghan family contacted the local employment center in Hamburg. The parents and their five children, as a needy household, applied for Bürgergeld, the citizens’ benefit paid when people have no income or do not earn enough money to support themselves and their dependents. According to official documents obtained by German investigative portal Nius, the employment center approved monthly payments of €6,733.83 from June to November 2025, with an increase to €6,814.83 starting in January 2026. Of this amount, approximately €5,100 is earmarked for Fördern und Wohnen, the city-owned social enterprise that runs the refugee accommodation where the family currently resides.

A wave of shoplifting across Germany—with migrants increasingly behind the thefts—is forcing major retailers to lock away goods and rethink how they operate. As losses mount into the billions, supermarkets are now treating everyday items like high-security stock.

Junge Freiheit reports that a Kaufland supermarket in the eastern state of Thuringia has removed expensive alcoholic drinks from its shelves, replacing them with tokens that customers must take to the information desk after purchase. Staff say the move became necessary after organised thieves began clearing out shelves “rucksack by rucksack”.

Germany’s highest administrative court has dealt a major blow to the government’s migration policies, ruling that Berlin must grant entry visas to thousands of Afghan migrants.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul confirmed that the ruling is “legally binding,” therefore Germany has to “honour its promises.”

The decision follows a landmark case brought by an Afghan woman and her family, who were guaranteed relocation to Germany under the federal resettlement programme in October 2023 but have since been stranded in Pakistan.

Foreigners may only account for 15 per cent of people living in Germany, but data gained by the right-wing Alternative for Germany party shows many names that might be associated with migrant-heritage communities feature disproportionately in unemployment welfare recipients.

h/t kiki9