(Rewritten Article)
Tackling Unauthorized Entries: German Border Controls and Their Impact
Facing a substantial decline, the number of unauthorized entries into Germany plummeted in November compared to the previous month. According to a response from the Federal Government to MP Clara Bünger (Left Party), the German Federal Police documented a total of 4,353 unauthorized entries at land borders between November 1 and 23, resulting in 2,299 refusals.
October saw 18,384 unauthorized entries recorded at Germany's land borders. Notably, the majority of these occurred in the first half of the month. A comparison with the months of previous years underscores the relatively low figures, with the Federal Police reporting 7,543 unauthorized entries at all borders in November 2021 and 12,538 unauthorized entries in November 2020.
A significant decrease in the first weeks of November was evident not only at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, where fixed border controls have been in place since October 16, but also at the border with Austria. Stationary controls were already implemented at that border in the fall of 2015 and have since been extended repeatedly.
Preliminary figures from the Federal Police indicate 921 unauthorized entries and 493 refusal orders at the German-Austrian border between November 1 and 23. In contrast, October saw over 6,921 illegal immigrants found there. The primary countries of origin for the 4,820 people turned back at Germany's borders in October were Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, and Morocco.
However, the police union (GdP) suspects that the dramatic decrease in recent weeks is only partially due to the border controls ordered by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) in mid-October. The GdP points out a certain domino effect, suggesting that neighboring countries have subsequently intensified their own border protection.
Andreas Roßkopf, responsible for federal police and customs at the GdP, notes that Austria and Slovakia have strengthened their border controls with Hungary. Rôle Alexander Throm, spokesperson for internal affairs in the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, describes the border controls as successful but stresses the importance of returning rejected asylum seekers to prevent false incentives. Throm believes that foreigners who have already applied for asylum in another EU country should only receive a transitional allowance and travel costs to return to that country.
Roßkopf attributes the decline in the number of unauthorized entries to a temporary special effect, noting that rival smuggling organizations have engaged in a fierce battle, resulting in many migrants not being smuggled further. However, it is expected that smuggling networks will seek new ways to bring people to Germany in exchange for money.
"Border controls do not prevent people from needing asylum; they only make the escape routes even more dangerous," Bünger contends. Bünger also criticizes the long-term stationary controls at the German-Austrian border as a violation of EU law and calls for its reversal. The GdP, the police union, advocates for better working conditions for federal police officers conducting border checks, expressing concerns over the current working conditions.
Insights: Since the introduction of internal border controls on September 16, 2024, the German Federal Police has detected around 80,000 irregular entries. The police have arrested 1,900 people smugglers, leading to a one-third drop in asylum applications year-on-year. In fact, January 2025 saw a 37% drop in asylum applications following the implementation of these measures. Additionally, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser highlighted that unauthorized border crossings decreased by 25% in January 2025[1][3][5].
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