- Eight individuals, sought as refugees, were apprehended - some discovered alongside railway tracks, others within the confines of moving trains.
At the German-Polish border in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the federal police arrested four pairs of illegal immigrants within a day during the start of the week. Two Afghans were captured on Monday near Usedom while walking along the Swinemünde to Züssow railway line. They were taken into custody.
Shortly afterwards, two individuals on a regional train were stopped at the Hohendorf halt, district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, following a report by the train conductor. They presented Afghan passports but lacked the necessary residence permit.
All four migrants claimed to have entered Germany through the Belarus route. One of them mentioned having traveled from Moscow and paid approximately 5,500 euros for smuggling services. The four Afghans were transported to the initial reception facility in Stern Buchholz.
Two Syrian minors were discovered in Grambow, district of Nordwestmecklenburg, on Monday evening. They were handed over to the local youth welfare office in Vorpommern. Late at night, two unauthorized Afghan refugees were found at Pasewalk station and taken into custody for further questioning.
The federal police arrested 56 smuggled migrants at the border since Friday over the weekend. The majority of them claimed to have traveled to Germany via the Belarus route, passing through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, as reported by the federal police.
Approximately 3,100 unauthorized entries through the so-called Belarus route were recorded in the first half of 2023 nationwide. According to the police's statistics, over 11,900 individuals made their way to Germany via this route in 2023 as a whole.
The authorities are now considering strengthening the [Protection of the borders], given the high number of unauthorized entries through the Belarus route. It's crucial to implement stricter checks and documentation requirements to prevent such incidents in the future.
In light of the escalating border issues, a joint meeting was scheduled between the German and Polish governments to discuss increased cooperation and joint measures for [Protection of the borders].
