The expansion of border controls ordered by the federal government is starting. There is criticism – but Minister Faeser is confident of success.
Berlin – When the expansion of border controls in Germany came into force, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser defended the measure against criticism. Due to the border controls already in place since October 2023, more than 30,000 people have been turned away at the German borders, Faeser stressed. This has contributed to the fact that the number of asylum seekers has fallen by more than a fifth compared to last year.
Nevertheless, Germany remains the leader in the EUin terms of the number of asylum applications. This is followed by Spain, Italy, France and Greece. Most of the applications in Germany came from people from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.
Border controls since October 2023 – tens of thousands have been turned away
Tougher measures at national level are now necessary until the implementation of the European asylum reform takes effect, Faeser added. “From Monday (September 16) the Federal Police will carry out internal border controls at all German borders,” Faeser told the Augsburg General.
So far, the Federal Police have been carrying out checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland due to the migration situation. France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark are now also affected. The stationary and mobile checks are initially planned for six months until mid-March, but can be extended.
Federal police warn of overload due to border controls
The Federal Police again expressed concerns about the feasibility of the tightened border controls due to a lack of personnel. Andreas Roßkopf, the chairman of the police union for the Federal Police, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (Saturday): “The Federal Police will be busy gathering forces until Monday morning.” He added: “This has not yet been finalized and is also related to the fact that the minister’s announcement came as a great surprise.”
Roßkopf warned of a possible long-term overload of the police force. “We have to be careful that we do not end up with a long-term overload. Because the checks will take half a year or even longer,” he said. He also pointed out the high rate of resignations among younger colleagues: “We already have a resignation rate of over 25 percent among younger colleagues.” (lrg/dpa)
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