German police states country`s border crackdown can merely survive ‘a few more weeks’
(MENAFN) Germany’s recent tightening of border controls to curb asylum seekers may only be enforceable for a limited time, according to the country’s police union. The warning comes just two weeks after the government implemented stricter measures aimed at reducing migration.
Andreas Rosskopf, head of the German Police Union’s Federal Police and Customs division, stated that the current strategy is only manageable because officer schedules have been heavily adjusted. Training programs have been suspended, and efforts to reduce overtime have been paused. “We can only sustain this for a few more weeks,” he said.
The crackdown marks a significant policy shift and delivers on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s campaign promise to overhaul immigration rules. On May 7, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt issued an order halting all asylum applications at land borders, effectively ending former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2015 open-border policy. Exceptions are being made for vulnerable individuals, such as children and pregnant women. The government is also deploying an additional 3,000 officers to support the 11,000 already stationed at border checkpoints.
Merkel’s 2015 approach, which welcomed large numbers of refugees, has long been controversial and drew intense political backlash. Dobrindt recently claimed that border rejections had jumped by nearly 50% following the new order. However, Der Spiegel reported that the actual number of asylum applications remained relatively unchanged during the first week of enforcement.
Germany continues to be the top destination for asylum seekers within the EU. Official data shows that 17% of the country’s population consists of foreign nationals. Local governments have frequently expressed concern over budgetary pressures caused by rising migrant numbers.
The issue of migration remains deeply divisive in Germany. Earlier this month, the domestic intelligence agency (BfV) designated the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party a “confirmed extremist entity,” citing threats to democratic order. That designation has since been suspended following legal appeals and significant public opposition.
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