It is difficult to define statistically how many people without documents are living in Germany or in Rostock. But people without a resident permit are a part of our society and live in constant fear of being discovered. Their migration histories, especially the reasons that led to a life of illegality, are very different.
Authoritarian and dictatorial systems, economic exploitation, social injustice and war force people to leave their homes. Western society carries a direct or indirect responsibility for this development. Yet German asylum procedures do not recognize many of the causes, why people flee from their homelands. The restrictive regulations in the Immigration Act force asylum seekers into illegality.