Trump’s anti-immigrant executive order and refugee ban were harshly condemned by the German Chancellor. Several media outlets present Merkel as the last democratic hope of the West. But how have the refugees who arrived in Germany fared? And what of those who attempted to enter the European nation and now languish in Turkish camps? Was the acceptance of refugees by Germany driven by humanitarian ideals or by economic interests and the need to preserve the integrity of capitalist Europe? In this article, we present an assessment of 2016 and German policy in relation to the refugee crisis.