Germany turned away over 10,000 irregular immigrants at its borders since May

BERLIN

Germany turned away more than 10,000 irregular immigrants at its borders since the new conservative-led coalition government took power in May, the country's interior minister has said.

Alexander Dobrindt, a close ally of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, told the weekly Stern magazine that stricter border measures have been successful, and the government plans to extend them beyond September.

“We have turned away over 10,000 illegal migrants at our borders since May 8, including approximately 550 asylum seekers. It has become known that it no longer makes a difference at the border, which is also why asylum applications are declining," he said.

Dobrindt argued that the government's stricter measures have proven "highly effective" and have shifted global perception, making everyone aware that Germany's migration policy has changed. “To continue this success, we will be extending these controls beyond September. All measures are within the bounds of national and European law,” he said.

Germany, the EU's largest economy, currently hosts approximately 3.5 million refugees—mainly Ukrainians, Syrians, and Afghans who fled war and conflict in their home countries.

During their February election campaign, Chancellor Merz's conservative Christian Democrats promised strict measures to curb irregular migration. After forming a coalition government in May, they implemented more comprehensive border controls with neighboring countries, despite these nations being EU members.

Germany's border controls have created tensions particularly with its eastern neighbor Poland. In response, the Polish government implemented reciprocal temporary border controls last month. Leading Polish politicians have accused Germany of pushing migrants from German territory into Poland.

Under EU regulations, member states may implement temporary border controls in the passport-free Schengen area only in exceptional circumstances, such as when facing serious threats to public order. The European Commission has repeatedly said that such measures should be used only as a "last resort" and must remain "temporary.”

Merz's conservatives argue that under EU law and directives, asylum seekers must file their applications in the first EU country they enter—such as Greece or Italy—rather than traveling to Germany before processing their applications. The EU's common migration and asylum policy envisions distributing accepted asylum seekers among member states.