Germany experiences over 53,000 unauthorized border crossings
Apparently, border checks are supposed to be non-existent within the Schengen zone. Nevertheless, Germany's Interior Minister, Faeser, decided to implement them starting mid-September. Prior to this, there had been numerous illegal crossings. Hundreds of traffickers were apprehended during this process.
In the first nine months of this year, the German land borders recorded a total of 53,410 unauthorized entries, as reported by the "Bild" newspaper. Nationwide, 28,321 individuals were denied entry at land borders, a figure confirmed by the Federal Police.
The Federal Police arrested 1,195 human traffickers and logged 1,088 smuggling incidents. The authorities pointed out that figures from airport and seaport checks are not included and the land border numbers may still change due to subsequent registrations.
From January to the end of September, officials intervened in a total of 7,783 cases involving individuals with outstanding arrest warrants. The offenses include unpaid fines, serious crimes, unserved sentences, and international warrants in some cases.
Desire to Try Again
The "Bild" newspaper reported that the most rejections occurred at the borders with Switzerland (9,113 individuals), Poland (7,862), Austria (5,468), and the French border (2,350). The most denied were Ukrainians (5,935 individuals), Syrians (4,708), and Afghans (2,396). The police found 1,482 deported migrants who attempted to enter again despite the ban.
Officers classify an unauthorized entry as a foreigner trying to cross the border without a valid residence permit. Rejections are more likely if someone fails to file an asylum application or if a temporary re-entry ban applies to the individual, such as in cases of previous deportations or individuals from countries considered "safe" whose asylum applications have been previously rejected as "obviously unfounded".
Border Checks Since Mid-September
Despite border checks being theoretically non-existent in the Schengen area, Interior Minister Faeser introduced stationary checks at all German land borders in mid-September due to irregular migration and to combat Islamic terrorism and cross-border crime. The borders to Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg were affected by this expansion. Border checks were already in place at the French border due to the Paris Olympics, and they have been in effect at the German-Polish, Czech, and Swiss borders since mid-October 2021 and at the Austrian border since autumn 2015. Temporary border checks were also implemented at all German land borders during the 2016 European Football Championship.
Stationary border checks are a requirement for rejections as they can only be carried out directly at the border. Deportations of asylum seekers, for which another EU country is responsible, are also possible in the border area, but the conditions and the effort involved are significantly more extensive in this case. The Federal Police plans to release a summary of the overall numbers and the impact of the border checks on November 1.
The Commission has expressed its disapproval towards Germany's implementation of border checks within the Schengen zone, despite the increasing number of illegal crossings and trafficking incidents. Following the introduction of these checks by Interior Minister Faeser in mid-September, the Federal Police has arrested more human traffickers and logged more smuggling incidents.
