If we’re talking major international blunders, Germany’s history isn’t exactly stellar. Collective guilt in the wake of World Wars I and II brought the country to its knees, seizing every opportunity to manifest itself as a direct opposition to its past: as the ultra-socialist disaster that was East Germany; as a bureaucratic, anti-patriotic EU powerhouse; and, courtesy of Angela Merkel, as the hot new hub for third-world migration. In that respect, they’re right on the path to repentance.

With more than a million migrants and refugees making their way into welcoming European territories during 2015, German chancellor Merkel flexed her muscles and uttered the words that asserted her status as the paragon of leftist compassion (though Sweden might contest that). Wir schaffen das – we will cope. Alas, despite lofty promises and endless condemnations of naysayers, it turns out that they’re really not “schaffening” so well.

Even if it had been from a sudden boom of natural-born Germans, accommodating over 1.1 million extra individuals into a country over the span of a year is no easy feat. With most migrants arriving from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq (40%, 14%, and 11% respectively), the added challenge comes from cultural differences largely influenced by fundamentalist Islam “Sharia Police” patrols, a propensity towards self-segregation, and even recent reports of Syrians returning to their oppressive regime, complaining about a lack of job prospects, insufficient benefits, bland food, and no TVs in their living quarters.

The wave of migrants shows no signs of slowing down, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Germany’s optimism is wearing thin. Adding to the backlash from her more conservative political opponents, Merkel is slowly losing ground within her own party. She faces open criticism from lawmakers in her ruling coalition, and Horst Seehofer, head of former ally Christian Social Union in Bavaria, is threatening her government with a migration lawsuit. Public opinion is no less devastating: recent polls reveal that 40 percent of respondents want her to resign, 81 percent think she mishandled the refugee crisis, and her approval rating has sunk to 46 percent, the lowest it’s been since 2001. Often basing policy decisions on opinion polls, on January 28^th, 2016, Merkel frantically backpedaled in attempts to save her reputation, insisting that most migrants will return to Iraq and Syria once the conflicts in these nations will be placated.

The final nails in the proverbial coffin were the New Year’s Eve celebrations in cities such as Cologne, turned tragic when thousands of newly-welcomed migrants preyed upon the women gathered to enjoy the festivities. Countless atrocities, acts of sexual assault, and even instances of rape were reported that night, but severely downplayed by the German police for fear of inciting xenophobic sentiment. These acts of sexual violence are very much systematic, but this was the first officially-recognized case of taharrush in Europe. The Arabic term refers to a “game” of the crowd harassment of a single woman – mass molestation gleefully carried out in public places. In the pandemonium and confusion, the victim cannot accurately recognize or report the features of any attackers involved. Apologist leftist media outlets have gone so far as to claim that these instances of actual rape culture do not fall on the hands of the migrants, but rather on German victims themselves. What a contrast to the popular image of the third-wave feminist crusade against rape culture in America!

Though prosperous countries have a humanitarian duty to recognize refugees in times of crisis, fulfilling these duties should not come at the price of the safety and well-being of their citizens. Sadly for Germany, it’s a lesson learned at a hefty price. Merkel’s next mission: how to make a million migrants disappear?