Law enforcement authorities impede numerous individuals from gaining access to the West.
Since the past week, authorities have been strengthening border checks with Germany's western neighbours. They've thwarted around 100 unauthorized border crossings. Contrary to expectations, the number of asylum applications is actually climbing - it's not decreasing as anticipated.
According to a newspaper, since the implementation of comprehensive border checks at all German land borders, approximately 182 attempts to illegally enter the country have been detected at the western border. The "World on Sunday" obtained this information from internal statistics from the federal police headquarters. Out of the 100 attempts to enter at the borders with the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France by Thursday, 100 were denied entry.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior chose not to comment on these numbers. The newspaper reported that 3626 asylum applications were lodged in the same period. The previous week saw 3581 applications, and the week before that, there were 3063. Asylum applications are typically submitted upon entry or shortly thereafter.
Border controls began at all German land borders from Monday. Countries affected include France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark. Initially planned to last for half a year, until mid-March, these controls can be extended. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser ordered this expansion to curb unauthorized immigration.
Border checks have been in place at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland for some time now. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, since their expansion in mid-October 2023, around 52,000 illegal entries have been detected, and about 30,000 individuals have been denied entry - for instance, if they presented either no or invalid travel documents.
The European Council expressed concerns about the increasing number of asylum applications in Germany, despite tightened border controls. Despite the European Council's call for a comprehensive European migration policy, Germany continues to handle the issue predominantly at its national borders.
