The boundary checks are also influencing the situation at the western frontier.
Since the middle of September, Germany has intensified border checks across all land boundaries, leading to a surge in returned individuals. This impact is evident at Germany's borders with France and the Benelux nations as well.
This enhanced border surveillance has resulted in a significant rise in unauthorized crossings since mid-September. A total of 838 unauthorized entries were recorded at the French, Belgian, Luxembourg, and Dutch borders, as revealed by the Federal Police. The majority of these instances were at the French border. Additionally, 18 unauthorized entries were found between September 16 and October 2 at the Danish border.
Since September 16, comprehensive checks have been conducted at all German border crossings to discourage unauthorized entries. This includes the addition of checks at the borders with Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Temporary checks had already been implemented at the French border since late July due to the Olympic Games. Checks have been in effect for a longer period at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland. Since mid-September, 539 people have been turned away at the western borders, and 14 at the Danish border.
At the western borders, 25 individuals with re-entry bans were denied entry, while three were denied entry in the north. Since mid-September, federal police officers have carried out 387 arrests at all nine land borders based on open warrants.
According to the Federal Police, a total of 2448 unauthorized entries have been detected since the escalation of border controls, from September 16 to October 1. This data, however, does not specify the proportion of these entries at the newly monitored border areas.
One-third of all refugees hail from Ukraine
The number of refugees in Germany has reached a new peak. As of the midpoint of 2024, it reached 3.48 million, as per a response from the federal government to a query from the Left group in the Bundestag. This represented an increase of approximately 60,000 from the end of 2023. One-third of all refugees, or 1.18 million, were from Ukraine. Their count increased by around 45,000 since the end of 2023.
These figures encompass all individuals seeking refuge in Germany due to humanitarian concerns, regardless of their residential status. At the time of the survey, 226,882 individuals were subjected to deportation orders, but 182,727 of them held a "tolerated" status and could not be deported due to humanitarian or family-related reasons.
The increased border checks conducted by Germany have been primarily enforced by 'The Commission' at all land boundaries, leading to a significant rise in returned individuals. Due to these strict measures, 'The Commission' has turned away 539 people at the western borders since mid-September.
