Migration through Europe: From the hotspot to the dreamland – in three days

More than 100,000 people came to Italy via the Mediterranean this year – many then tried to travel on to another EU country without valid documents. The journey of two brothers from Syria shows how easy it is.

On one side, the smoking chimneys of a steelworks, on the other, littered streets on the edge of the harbor: the area around the hotspot for migrants in Taranto, southern Italy, is an ugly place. On this gray December morning, the hotspot’s barred gates open to 44 newly arrived migrants.

Among them are the brothers Mohammed and Ibrahim, whose phone number is this ARD studio Rome got. For the two Syrians, Taranto should be the starting point for the journey to their dream country. A path that the European rules do not provide for.

The two only stay in the hotspot for a few hours. The Italians register them as arriving migrants and fingerprints are taken in accordance with EU regulations. Mohammed and Ibrahim do not apply for asylum. They are then driven to a reception center near Lecce, 80 kilometers away.

The goal is clear

The next morning, Mohammed already has clear ideas about what to do next for him and his brother: “We want to go to Germany,” says the 31-year-old unequivocally. According to EU rules, the countries in which the migrants first set foot on European soil are responsible for asylum applications – in this case Italy.

But Mohammed and Ibrahim do it like most people: More than 130,000 migrants arrived in Italy via the Mediterranean this year – but only 10,000, or less than ten percent, had applied for asylum here by August.

“Germany gives the greatest help”

Mohammed says proudly that he knows a lot about Germany and lists: “Germany is very democratic. Germany has a strong economy and many job opportunities.” Above all, it is “the first country when it comes to supporting people who need help.” Germany, says Mohammed, “gives people the greatest help.”

The 31-year-old former mechanical engineering student and his 25-year-old brother Ibrahim come from Damascus. Their area was not affected by the war, they say, but they feared they would be drafted into military service.

In 2021 they then went to Libya. There they worked in a restaurant in Benghazi and as car mechanics to earn money for the trip to Germany.

After two and a half years, they said they had enough together to pay the smugglers the required 4,000 euros for the crossing to Italy. Mohammed reports that there were high waves in the Mediterranean and he was afraid. They were rescued and brought to Taranto by the aid organization “Doctors Without Borders” on their ship “Geo Barents”.

If possible, don’t waste any time

But after just one night in Italy, the brothers have already packed all their things into a small bag and don’t want to waste any time. The residence center is open and the migrants who have arrived are allowed to move freely in the country.

Mohammed exchanged ideas with others in the accommodation center about the quickest way to get to Germany: “I asked people where the train station was. I’m going to go now, buy a ticket and set off.” When asked whether he knew that he would have to cross borders, which he was not allowed to do, Mohammed answered with a smile. “Difficult times create strong men,” he says in English – “difficult times create strong men”.

The plan: On the train to Munich

Mohammed and Ibrahim walk two kilometers along fields to the next bus stop, and from there to the train station in Lecce. There Mohammed tries to get a SIM card for his cell phone. But no one will sell him one because his Syrian passport has expired.

In a bar, the two brothers then approach two other young men who speak Arabic. It takes a few minutes before Mohammed gets on a rental electric scooter with one of the two and speeds away. The two return around half an hour later – and Mohammed has his cell phone card for mobile internet.

It is always striking how quickly the two brothers make contact with other migrants and form networks on their way to Germany. At the train station in Lecce they buy tickets for the night train to Milan in order to travel further north from there. “I have friends in Munich, Berlin, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf,” says Mohammed. He and his brother would like to go to Munich.

Around 80 percent of the passengers on the night train are migrants. Mohammed and Ibrahim meet other Syrians here – they also want to go to Germany. Late at night, three Italian police officers come onto the train and carry out random checks. Mohammed and Ibrahim are not addressed. In the morning they arrive at the central train station in Milan.

Plans change

After talking to the other migrants on the train, Mohammed suddenly changed his plans for the route from Milan: he doesn’t want to take the Flixbus to Munich with his brother, but rather take the train to Stuttgart. “I’m looking for a city where it’s easier to get papers,” he explains his change of heart. And when asked whether he thinks it would be easier in Stuttgart, Mohammed answers: “Yes, I think so.”

But something else is changing in Milan: Mohammed and Ibrahim no longer want that ARD reporter They’re obvserving. They disappear into the city for several hours.

In the evening they picked up a money transfer from their sister at Western Union, bought a few new items of clothing – including gloves against the cold – and got their hair cut. Mohammed explains the further plan: “We want to buy tickets to Lugano here and from there on to Germany.” So instead of the route over the Brenner Pass, the route through Switzerland.

It’s going to Switzerland – for transit

A short time later, Mohammed and Ibrahim board a regional train to Chiasso, Switzerland, which also carries many cross-border commuters. From there it should obviously continue to Lugano.

Late in the evening, Mohammed and Ibrahim sent a photo of themselves from Zurich. The next morning a message with a smiley from Stuttgart. After that, contact breaks off – three days after their EU arrival in southern Italy, they made it to Germany without valid papers.

You can also see a detailed report on the topic in the tagesthemen – today at 9:45 p.m. on the first.