Fewer unauthorized entries: Domino effect through controls

Migration - Fewer unauthorized entries: Domino effect through controls

The number of unauthorized entries into Germany fell sharply in November compared to the previous month. According to an answer from the Federal Government to a question from MP Clara Bünger (Left Party), the Federal Police detected a total of 4,353 unauthorized entries at land borders between 1 and 23 November and ordered 2,299 refusals.

In October, 18,384 unauthorized entries were recorded at Germany's land borders - the majority of which occurred in the first half of the month. A comparison with the months of previous years also illustrates the relatively low figures: In the entire month of November 2021, the Federal Police detected 7543 unauthorized entries at all borders, compared to 12,538 unauthorized entries in November last year.

According to the figures, there was a significant decrease in the first weeks of November not only at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, where fixed border controls have been in place since October 16, but also at the border with Austria. Such stationary controls had already been ordered there in the fall of 2015 and have been repeatedly extended since then.

According to preliminary figures from the Federal Police, 921 people who entered the country without authorization were detected at the German-Austrian land border between 1 and 23 November and 493 refoulement orders were issued. In the previous month, more than 6921 illegal immigrants had been found there. The main countries of origin of the 4820 people who were turned back at Germany's borders in October were Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan and Morocco.

However, the police union (GdP) suspects that the sharp decline in recent weeks is only to a small extent due to the border controls ordered by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) in mid-October. However, observers see a certain domino effect, i.e. that bordering countries and their neighbors have subsequently strengthened their own border protection. Andreas Roßkopf, responsible for federal police and customs at the GdP, notes that Austria and Slovakia have recently intensified their border controls with Hungary.

This effect is certainly desirable, says Alexander Throm, spokesperson for internal affairs in the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, who - like Minister Faeser - describes the border controls as successful. However, the CDU politician emphasizes: "Border controls are not a panacea." Germany must also become better at returning rejected asylum seekers. In order to avoid false incentives, he believes that foreigners who have already applied for asylum in another EU country should in future only receive a transitional allowance "and the travel costs for them to return to that country".

Roßkopf also attributes the decline in the number of unauthorized entries to a temporary special effect. He says: "According to our findings, rival smuggling organizations have engaged in a fierce battle and as a result, many migrants have not been smuggled any further."

However, it is to be expected that the various smuggling networks will soon try to find new ways to bring people to Germany in exchange for money. "Border controls do not prevent people from needing asylum, they only make the escape routes even more dangerous," said Bünger. The fact that people seeking protection now have to take other routes in sub-zero temperatures and snow chaos is unacceptable for humanitarian reasons alone.

Border controls are not actually planned within the Schengen area and must be reported to Brussels. If it is only a matter of a few days, this can be done with a short notice period. However, this option ends after two months, in the case of Germany on December 15. However, observers expect - not least because Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced this in the Bundestag - that Faeser will maintain the controls, at least at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic, in the longer term and inform the EU Commission of this soon.

Bünger is calling for a reversal here, as are several members of the Green parliamentary group. The fact that stationary controls at the German-Austrian border have now become a permanent state of affairs is in breach of EU law and must be ended - instead of extending this practice to other sections of the border.

Meanwhile, the GdP is campaigning for better working conditions for the federal police officers who now carry out checks on these sections of the border. At the end of November, Roßkopf sent a letter to Faeser in which he complained: "The working conditions currently expected of the employees are scandalously poor, primitive and provisional at best in many places." In some cases, there was a lack of adequate lighting systems, heated control shelters and toilets. Some members of the riot police reported that weatherproof jackets had to be cleaned and replaced on a weekly basis because there were not enough thermal jackets for everyone.

BMI on notification of additional internal border controls