- Belarus route: around 3,100 illegal entry by end of June
Following an increase earlier this year, unauthorized entries into Germany via the so-called "Belarus route" decreased somewhat in June. According to a response from the German government to a query by the AfD faction, the Federal Police recorded 413 such entries in March, rising to 865 in April, and 1,125 in May. In June, they recorded 663 unauthorized entries via this route.
Poland and the European Union accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin and his ally, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, of facilitating, since 2021, the movement of people from crisis regions to the EU with visas and logistics, aiming to enter the EU illegally. This route goes from Belarus across the EU's external border into Poland.
In the first half of this year, the Federal Police recorded 3,117 unauthorized entries via this route, according to the German government. In the whole of 2023, 11,932 people entered Germany via this route, according to the Federal Police's input statistics.
In six months, 1,140 Afghans came via the Belarus route
The largest group among those who entered Germany irregularly via Belarus in the past year and the first half of 2024 were Afghans, followed by those claiming to be Syrian nationals. Other frequent nationalities in the period from January to June 2024 were Somali, Indian, Iranian, and Yemeni. Many of those entering via this route do not have any papers.
In mid-October last year, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) ordered temporary stationary controls at the borders with Poland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland, and notified the European Commission. These controls have since been extended several times.
The EU has been closely monitoring the situation, as Poland and the EU have accused Russia and Belarus of facilitating illegal migration into the EU via the "Belarus route." The EU, as a collective, has not officially issued a statement regarding this issue.
