Germany seeks stricter limits on migrants, rolling back welcome mat

With waves of asylum seekers showing no signs of easing, European nations that had been friendly to refugees abruptly rolled back their welcome mats Thursday, as Germany considered radically slashing its benefits and Croatia warned migrants to turn back. The German measures would broadly overhaul asylum codes in an effort to stem the massive flow of migrants into Europe, scaling back the generous policies that have made Germany the single biggest draw in the region. The crush of refugees and migrants has shocked European leaders even as they struggle to find a common strategy to deal with one of the continent’s biggest humanitarian crises in decades.