Chancellor Angela Merkel admits immigration policy hurt her party in local elections over the weekend.

Nations have the moral duty help people in danger and in need of assistance. Most of the asylum seekers are innocent people looking for a place to rebuild their and their families’ lives, and the fact that they are attributed to the stereotypes of the guilty in their nations actually escalates the pain and suffering they must endure.

However, it is understandable why many Germans, along with other nations, want to  regulate their borders: fear. In the wake of the numerous attacks on European cities, people are very much afraid. They cannot distinguish bad from good, innocent from guilty, and in such a situation hyper-vigilence is far more effective than naiveté.

Yet this amalgamation of morality and fear can itself bring about significant change to the system. The truth is that the system of accepting refugees is disorganized, and by nature, imperfect.There are far too many refugees to check, far too many citizens to please, and increasingly far less time to contend with these issues. A structural change to the refugees screening process, in assessment and organization, will effectively lead to more public tolerance and less attacks. This, however, will take time.

On the other hand:

Morality dictates that people help those in need ( and there are people in need), but reality illustrates that there is no perfect outcome, even in giving aid. The debate, at its core, can be morality vs. reality, and to which the world attributes more weight to. Either way, there will be both results and consequences.

Source: Germany’s Angela Merkel admits immigration policy hurt party – CNN.com