Migration: Majority of Germans support tougher rules at Germany’s borders

Regardless of European legal requirements, a majority of Germans are calling for stricter measures at the German borders. This is shown by the results of a survey conducted by the opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency. It also shows that stricter rules apply to older people than to younger people when dealing with irregular migration.

Of the 2,126 participants in the survey, which ran from September 6 to 10, 71 percent were in favor of direct rejections at the border. This already exists, for example, for foreigners who are required to have a visa and do not apply for asylum when crossing the border, as well as for people with an entry ban.

21 percent spoke out against direct rejections at the German borders. The Union demands that the Federal Police should also reject people who want to apply for asylum in Germany after having previously stayed in another EU country.

When asked whether they supported border controls and possibly border closures as measures to limit migration, 45 percent of respondents chose the answer option “I fully support this.” A further 28 percent of survey participants viewed this as rather positive. One in five rejected border controls and border closures in this context.

Almost every older person is in favor of more deportations

82 percent of the survey participants are in favor of deporting more people who do not have the right to stay in Germany. According to the survey, eleven percent of Germans are against more deportations, and seven percent of those surveyed did not express an opinion on the matter.

In the group of people aged 60 and over, more than 95 percent are in favor of more deportations of people without a right to remain. Among people aged 18 to 39, the proportion of those who hold this view is 68 percent. There was no East-West difference in the answers to this question.

Rejections are only possible directly at the border, and only where there are stationary controls. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, more than 30,000 people have been turned away since last October.

In mid-October 2023, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) ordered such permanent controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. They have been in place at the German-Austrian land border since September 2015. From this Monday, controls will also be in place at the land borders with France, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.