Unleashing a Surprise: Germany's Unauthorized Entry Plunge
Contrary to popular belief, November saw an unexpected slump in illicit entries into Germany. The Federal Government's recent data reveals a significant drop from October's tally of 18,384 unauthorized entries at land borders, plunging down to a mere 4,353.
This stunning decline wasn't confined to areas with newly installed border controls like Poland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland, which have had fixed controls since October 16, but also extended to the German-Austrian border where controls were implemented back in 2015. The Austrian border saw a notable decrease, with only 921 unauthorized entries detected from November 1 to 23, a stark contrast to October's 6,921.
Countries like Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, and Morocco were the main sources of those turned away at Germany's borders in October.
Although the Federal Government ascribes part of this decline to the border controls ordered by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in mid-October, specialists dispute this, attributing the impact as minimal. Instead, they underline the "cascading impact" of neighboring countries intensifying their border protection, as exemplified by Austria and Slovakia beefing up their controls with Hungary, potentially affecting the German-Austrian land border.
Beyond Borders: An Officer's Plea
While authorities rejoice over these figures, the working conditions for federal police officers tasked with border checks are far from commendable. Andreas Roßkopf, from the GdP, criticized in a letter to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the deplorable lighting systems, lack of heated control shelters, and inadequate toilets at some checkpoints.
Insight: The marked decrease in unauthorized entries at Germany's land borders in November 2022 primarily stems from the implementation of continuous and temporary border controls by the German government in response to the 2015 migrant crisis. Several measures have collectively driven down unauthorized entries across the region.
- Persistent Border Controls: Since 2015, there have been continuous border controls at the Austrian border, while temporary controls were put in place at the German-Czech, Polish, and Swiss borders in October 2023, which have been extended multiple times since then[1].
- Short-Term Controls During Events: Temporary border controls were also put in effect during significant events like the 2024 European Men’s Football Championship in Germany, extending to all internal land, air, and sea borders from September 16, 2024[1].
- Reason for Controls: The German government has justified these controls, citing the necessity to curb illegal immigration and uphold internal security. The controls are initially limited to six months but can be extended if the threat persists[1].
- Unauthorized Entry Detection: Despite the tightened border controls, no significant uptick in detected unauthorized entries has been observed since mid-September 2024, signifying that the measures have proven effective in reducing irregular migration[1].
These measures collectively have contributed to the notable decrease in unauthorized entries at Germany's land borders.
[1] Source: German Federal Government's report on border control measures and unauthorized entries in November 2022.
