Checks at the European Championships: Police register thousands of illegal entries
During the EM, the German Federal Police have increased controls at German borders. Thousands of people have been prevented from entering, among them rejected migrants and violent hooligans. The controls are expected to be significantly reduced after the tournament ends.
During the Football-EM in Germany, the security authorities have registered and prevented thousands of unauthorized entry attempts. A total of 22,000 officers were involved in the largest deployment of the German Federal Police at German borders. According to the Federal Interior Ministry's response to an ntv inquiry, a total of 4659 unauthorized entries were registered between the 7th and 27th of June. Around one third of these were detected at the borders to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Controls were also carried out at the borders to Poland and the Czech Republic.
Furthermore, 3261 people were turned back. Among them were 346 people who had previously been deported and whose re-entry was prohibited. The police also executed 603 open arrest warrants, denied entry to 86 violent hooligans, and temporarily detained 150 smugglers. In the roughly three weeks reported by the Ministry, there were also 85 fugitive apprehensions with references to politically-motivated criminality - among other things, from the Islamic spectrum.
Post-EM Return to Normal Mode
However, unaccompanied minors are not turned back during an unauthorized entry. This applies to special cases, such as people with illnesses who need treatment. Asylum seekers are also sometimes checked to see if they can be transferred to another EU country in accordance with EU asylum regulations. They remain in Germany temporarily in such cases.
"During our temporary border controls, many arrest warrants have been executed and hooligans have been prevented from entering," said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. "This shows that it is good that we controlled the borders to Denmark, the Benelux countries, and France during the EM."
The SPD Minister stated that the border controls would be scaled back after the EM. "There will be controls at our southern and eastern borders as before, where we cross out the smuggling routes and limit irregular migration," she said.
Saxony calls for strict controls towards Poland
The border controls to Poland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland are being extended until the 15th of December. The controls at the Austrian border will continue until the 11th of November. At the borders to France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark, the so-called border checks (Schleierfahndungen) will be reinstated - that is, only random checks will be carried out.
Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster is calling on the federal government to extend the controls. "There is an opportunity to do so if there are special dangers for public safety and order," he told ntv. "Then we can act under national law and I would be happy to make use of it. In other words, the federal government should make use of it," said the CDU politician.
A special focus he places on the Polish border. "What's happening there, deliberately routed through Russia, through Belarus, towards us, is no longer a coincidence, it's not normal migration streams," he said. "And what's happening there in terms of security, I believe, justifies the imposition of these national rules."
- The Federal Ministry of the Interior, led by Nancy Faeser, supported the increased border controls during the European Football Championship 2024, stating that they were effective in executing open arrest warrants and preventing hooligans from entering.
- The Federal Police, as part of the security policy for the European Football Championship 2024, also carried out border controls towards European countries like France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Denmark, leading to the prevention of several attempts of unauthorized entry and the apprehension of smugglers.
- In light of the ongoing security concerns at the Polish border, Saxony's Federal Interior Minister Armin Schuster is urging the federal government to implement stricter controls, citing the unusual migration patterns and potential risks to public safety as justification for invoking national law.
