More than 1100 unauthorized entries from Poland to MV
More than 1100 migrants have crossed the Polish border into Mecklenburg-Vorpommern without permission since the beginning of the year. By September 30, there had been 1122 in the area of responsibility of the Pasewalk Federal Police Inspectorate and 14 suspected smugglers, the Bad Bramstedt Federal Police Directorate told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The number is three times as high as in the same period in 2022, when 387 migrants were apprehended, according to the Federal Police. At that time, there were also twelve suspected smugglers.
A spokesperson for the Federal Police Directorate was unable to say what effect the border controls temporarily reintroduced in the region in October have had. Quality-assured statistical data would only be available until the end of September. The situation is "still dynamic", he explained. According to reports from the Pasewalk Federal Police Inspectorate, two suspected smugglers were arrested in November alone. They are awaiting trial in Neustrelitz prison.
On October 16, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) made temporary border controls possible, including at the EU's internal border with Poland. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, such a temporary checkpoint was set up on the A11 near Pomellen, according to the Federal Police spokesperson. Cross-border entry traffic is checked on a random basis. Last Wednesday, Faeser extended the regulation by 20 days.
This gives the Federal Police more legal options to protect the border, explained the spokesperson for the Federal Police Directorate. If the legal requirements are met, migrants could be turned back at the German-Polish land border, for example.
According to the Schwerin Ministry of Justice, courts in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern sentenced 14 smugglers last year. This compares to five the year before. Figures for 2023 are not yet available, according to a ministry spokesperson. The spokesperson was also unable to provide any information on the amount of the sentences imposed in 2021 and 2022.
Despite the increase in crime related to migration, with 14 suspected smugglers apprehended, there's a pressing need for comprehensive immigration policies. The surge in unauthorized entries from Poland, now at over 1100, adds complexity to the ongoing crime-migration discussion.
Source: www.dpa.com
