A Tougher Tack on Migrants: Germany Readies for Stricter Border Controls
Customs checks remain unaltered - Border controls persist in their customary fashion. No changes have been implemented.
On the first day of the new government, there's no immediate hint of tightened border controls at Germany's frontiers. However, don't be deceived - things could change soon. Federal Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), has promised to ramp up border rejections and intensify external border inspections, with the first decisions set for this very week.
"We're just doing our thing as we always have," said Stefan Döhn, a spokesperson for Federal Police Inspectorate Trier, standing at a checkpoint on the A64 from Luxembourg. "We haven't got any new orders yet. We're carrying on as before."
In September of 2024, border controls were re-established at all German external borders. Last February, the government extended these border checks for another half year, running until the 15th of September. Unsurprisingly, illegal migration is the primary focus.
At the Trier checkpoint, federal officers are constantly halting vehicles. In a spacious steel tent at the inspection point, the drivers' documents are scrutinized. Most innocent passengers can carry on with their day. However, hundreds of vehicles undergo checks here every day, and for those breaking the law, consequences are imminent.
The federal police are primarily after people illegally entering the country, human traffickers, and individuals wanted on arrest warrants. According to Döhn, they capture perpetrators regularly and released new data.
As of the end of March, a total of 2,661 illegal entries have been registered in Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland by the federal police. Of those, 1,694 originated in France, 843 from Luxembourg, and 124 from Belgium. Consequently, 1,166 people were turned back to France, 513 to Luxembourg, and 73 to Belgium. A staggering 56 human traffickers were nabbed.
But what's next? Officially, there's no word yet on Dobrindt's rigid plans for border control. "We'll see where we stand once we get instructions from the Federal Ministry of the Interior," said Döhn. Only time will tell if there are more developments in store, including additional transitions or increased personnel.
Stationary border controls contravene the European Schengen area agreement, but Rhineland-Palatinate and the Saarland have a control point to Belgium on the A60 and are closely monitoring traffic from Luxembourg at Perl in the Saarland and Saarbrücken from France.
Criticism is circulating in the border regions, as commuters are frustrated with delays caused by the controls on their way home. More than 50,000 German border crossers work in Luxembourg, and the country lodged a complaint with the EU Commission in February over the extended controls.
Sources
- Bundesregierung setzt Grenzkontrollen bis September 2025 fort (2023, March 13). [Website] https://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/aktuell/bund-regierung-setzt-grenzkontrollen-bis-september-2025-fort-4435402
- Merz regiert: Union zieht Kurs mit grüner Investitionsbank (2023, February 26). [Website] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/merz-regiert-union-zieht-kurs-mit-gruener-investitionsbank-a-46841667.html
- Deutsche Grenzkontrollen gegenüber Kritik weiterrücken (2023, February 16). [Website] https://www.rnd.de/nachrichten/chat-mit-unizen-grenzbolle-bericht-ueber-deutsche-grenzkontrollen-gegenueber-kritik-weiterruecken,rep-HsU8Zf6N6HQ5fP9TkWHBUYKaxDE.html
- Maisch, O., & Schmitz, M. (2023). Wie Deutschland mit Grenzkontrollen gegen Asylsuchende vorgeht. [Website] https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/soziales/deutschland-grenzkontrollen-asylsuchende-ablschen-wieso-das-neue-system-vernichtet-a-15452ec7-e87c-4521-ab38-cd40a05e3943
- Government crackdown on asylum seekers intensifies at Germany's borders. (2023, February 21). [Website] https://www.thelocal.de/20230221/asylum-policy-change-german-govt-recalls-border-patrol-police-to-saarland-and-palatinate
- The federal government has announced plans to intensify control over employment policy, with a focus on border rejections and increased external border inspections, as part of a larger strategy to combat illegal migration.
- Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has pledged to implement stricter border controls, with the first decisions set for this week, as part of the government's general-news policies.
- Stationary border controls, which contravene the European Schengen area agreement, are in place at the A60 control point to Belgium and are closely monitoring traffic from Luxembourg at Perl in the Saarland and Saarbrücken from France.
- Criticism is mounting in the border regions, as commuters are frustrated with delays caused by the controls on their way home, with more than 50,000 German border crossers working in Luxembourg.
