German town of Altena hoped migration could turn its fortunes

Humam al-Gburi, who fled from years of conflict in Iraq to Germany, poses for a photo at a clinic for orthopaedics and trauma surgery after becoming a nurse in Luedenscheid, Germany, July 28, 2025. Al-Gburi was among 100 additional migrants the western German town of Altena volunteered to take in beyond its federal quota, in an effort to revitalise a shrinking community. REUTERS/Stephane Nitschke