Illegal immigrants turned back: Smuggling continues
Following the temporary reintroduction of fixed border controls to curb illegal entry, the Federal Police continue to turn people back at the border with Poland. They are also checking cross-border trains, coaches and unauthorized entry at the Frankfurt city bridge. But people are also still being brought across the border by smugglers in vans under dangerous conditions.
In Frankfurt (Oder), 22 people were sent back to Poland by federal police officers on Thursday. These were 21 men and one woman who claimed to come from Ukraine, Uzbekistan, the Republic of Moldova and Yemen. The people, aged between 19 and 46, were unable to produce documents for entry or legal residence, as the federal police reported on Friday.
With the exception of one person, the people did not meet the entry requirements. One Somali national was forwarded to the initial reception center of the state of Brandenburg following a request for protection. The Federal Police initiated investigations against all persons on suspicion of unauthorized entry and residence.
According to an initial assessment by Brandenburg's Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU), the permanent controls at the German-Polish border in October have brought a "significant improvement". Almost a third fewer people have entered the country, and the number of illegal entries has almost halved, according to Stübgen.
Meanwhile, smugglers continue to try to bring people across the border to Germany in vans. In one van, a suspected smuggler drove 24 people, including children, across the border - they were crammed into the hold of the van. The people were apprehended on Wednesday evening - 23 of them Iranians aged between 10 and 42 and one 33-year-old Iraqi. None of them had the necessary documents to enter or stay in Germany. The Federal Police apprehended the 34-year-old driver as part of a reintroduced internal border control in Schwedt/Oder (Uckermark).
The police are now investigating the offenders on suspicion of illegal entry. The 34-year-old driver, a stateless person who last lived in Estonia, will be brought before a magistrate. He is being investigated on suspicion of smuggling in foreigners. 22 people were taken to an initial reception center in the country. The youth welfare office is now responsible for two unaccompanied minors.
According to Youth Minister Steffen Freiberg (SPD), Brandenburg's local authorities are still under pressure due to the continuing influx of refugee children and young people. All youth welfare offices in the state are currently looking after 830 unaccompanied foreign minors, the education minister said on Thursday.
Despite the efforts of the Federal Police to prevent illegal entry, crime persists as smugglers continue to bring refugees across the border in dangerous conditions. A 34-year-old suspected smuggler was apprehended in Schwedt/Oder, driving a van with 24 refugees, including children and an Iranian family, who did not have the necessary documents.
Source: www.dpa.com
