Germany turns first asylum seekers away at border — report

Germany has begun rejecting asylum seekers at its borders with other European countries, the first such action since the new government tightened immigration, a German newspaper reported Sunday.
On Thursday and Friday, out of 365 undocumented entries at all borders, 286 migrants and refugees were sent back, including 19 who had applied for asylum, according to data provided to Bild am Sonntag.
The paper said the main reasons for being rejected were: no valid visa, fake documents or entry suspension.

Bild reported that over two days, authorities also detained 14 smugglers, carried out 48 open arrest warrants, and apprehended nine individuals under extremism laws targeting hard-left, far-right, and Islamist ideologies, among others.

Four claimants classified as “vulnerable” were permitted to enter the country.

Why is Germany taking a tougher line on immigration?

New German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to implement permanent controls at all nine of Germany’s land borders from his first day in office this week to curb illegal migrant entries.

Merz justified the move by saying that Germany is surrounded by safe European Union states where migrants should apply for refuge upon first landing in Europe.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced Wednesday that, for the first time, asylum seekers would be turned away at the border under specific conditions. Exemptions include children, pregnant women, and individuals identified as vulnerable.

Around 3,000 additional federal police officers will be sent to support the measure, according to German media.

Migration polices in shadow of far-right AfD

The coalition government, formed by the center-right CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats, faces mounting pressure against rising migration from the surging popularity of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

The party is now polling neck-and-neck with Merz’s conservatives and was earlier this month designated a “confirmed right-wing extremist” group by the country’s domestic spy agency, although it later suspended public use of this label while a court rules on an injunction request by the party.

Asylum claims in Germany have been falling recently. In the first three months of the year, 37,387 applications were made, Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported. The figure marks a 46% decrease on the same period last year.

Greens vow response

The rejection measure has been criticized by German politicians and neighboring EU countries, especially Poland, which cited border congestion and the proper functioning of the EU’s internal market.

Marcel Emmerich, domestic policy spokesperson for the environmentally-friendly Green Party in parliament, said the move was “contrary to European law.”

Instead of more cooperation, the federal government is opting for isolation and unilateral action, creating chaos at the borders,” Emmerich, whose party now sits in opposition, told the newsroom of Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
The Greens plan to field questions in Parliament this week, asking whether the measure is mandatory or discretionary and how exactly vulnerable individuals will be treated.

Germany in a ‘special situation’ in Europe

Meanwhile, CSU leader Markus Söder played down concerns from other EU states, saying he believes the measure will get Brussels’ backing, despite the backlash.

Germany is in a “special situation,” Söder told Bild am Sonntag “because we have taken in many migrants, even though we are not required to do so under the European legal system,” adding that that “disorder for many years” has plagued the issue of migration in Europe.

Around two-thirds of Germans are in favor of the permanent controls, according to recent polls.

After raising border controls during the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany reintroduced temporary checks in September, allowing border officers to turn away those without the correct entry documentation.

Data from then until the end of April, showed that 33,406 people were turned away from the land border, the Bild data showed.

Most were trying to cross into Germany illegally and more than 1,200 had been previously deported. The figures also included smugglers, extremists and thousands of open arrest warrants.