Illegal migration: Additional border controls underway

As announced, Germany has expanded its existing border controls in the east and south of the country to the land border in the west. Since midnight, officials in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia have been carrying out checks at the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands.

Federal police officers check in North Rhine-Westphalia for example, on the Autobahn 44 near Aachen on the North Rhine-Westphalian side, people entering from Belgium. According to earlier information from a spokesman for the Federal Police of North Rhine-Westphalia, there are no stationary checkpoints planned, but rather a mobile concept for border controls.

“We will carry out random checks at specific times and at different points in the flow of traffic,” the spokesman told the German Press Agency on Friday. There will be no full checks and not everyone who crosses the border will be checked. “However, everyone must be prepared to be checked without reason when crossing the border,” said the spokesman. On Monday, checks will also be set up at the borders with Luxembourg and Denmark.

Fixed checkpoints in Lower Saxony

Also in Lower Saxony “As planned, additional officers are deployed,” said a spokesman for the Federal Police. Permanent checkpoints have been set up on the A 30 motorway near Bad Bentheim, the A 280 motorway near Bunde and the B 402 federal road near Schöninghsdorf (near Meppen). In addition, search operations have been announced on the side roads in the area near the border with the Netherlands.

The additional controls will initially last for six months in order to further reduce the number of illegal entries. Commuter and tourist traffic should be affected as little as possible.

Border controls are not actually planned in the Schengen area. So far, the federal police have only carried out checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and, since the Olympic Games in Paris, France. The additional checks have been legally possible since midnight.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said on Sunday evening: “In my view, this measure is urgently needed to further reduce irregular migration.” Last week, she ordered that there should be stationary controls at all land borders from Monday.

Stationary border controls enable so-called rejections. This is less time-consuming than ensuring that someone who has already entered Germany illegally leaves again. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there have been more than 30,000 rejections at the German borders since October 2023. Foreigners who do not apply for asylum and those who are subject to an entry ban are currently being rejected. The traffic light coalition had rejected a demand by the Union parliamentary group for comprehensive rejections due to concerns about European law.

Olaf Scholz speaks with neighbouring countries

Neighbouring countries such as Austria and Poland had – also in the course of this broader discussion – expressed concerns about the expansion of border controls. However, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has “begun to speak very carefully with the heads of the neighbouring countries, including the President of the European Commission”, as he said on Sunday evening during his trip to Uzbekistan.

“Everyone knows that we are operating within the framework of European law, but we are making the most of our possibilities,” explained Scholz. “Everyone understands that the number of people coming to Germany is too large and that it is therefore in the German government’s understandable interest to ensure that we get these things under control through good management of irregular migration.” This includes controls such as these.

The Greens, however, are critical of them. “It is questionable how effective border protection can be, especially given the staffing levels of the federal police,” said North Rhine-Westphalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mona Neubaur to the “Tagesspiegel”.

Meanwhile, the Union believes that the controls are insufficient to control irregular immigration. “Controls alone are not enough.” “Refusing the traffic light for a comprehensive rejection is a capitulation,” said the chairman of the CSU Bundestag member, Alexander Dobrindt, to the “Bild” newspaper.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) called for further talks with the SPD, among others. These “absolutely” have to take place, he said in response to a question on the “Berlin Playbook” podcast of the magazine “Politico”. “It is very important that people come together.” This must be resolved across party lines.”

CDU chairman Friedrich Merz confirmed his fundamental openness to a top-level meeting with Chancellor Scholz. He had declared his willingness to do so, said the Union faction leader on the ZDF program “Berlin direct”. “However, the government spokesman then declared that the Chancellor would not consider issuing such an invitation. We cannot force him to do so. I take note of that.”

After the failure of the migration talks between the government and the Union, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) had suggested a new attempt at the highest level: with Merz, Scholz, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and himself.