German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that enhanced border controls will continue beyond their originally planned end in September. The decision comes amid growing political pressure to limit the influx of asylum seekers, especially from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Politico reports, News.bg reports.
“We will continue to maintain border controls and allow border controls and refusals to remain in force beyond September”, Dobrindt said in an interview for the Table Today podcast. In doing so, he reaffirmed his support for the controversial practice of denying entry to the country, including to asylum seekers.
The measures, introduced in early May, have caused diplomatic tensions with neighboring countries, including Poland. In June, a Berlin court ruled that refusing asylum seekers at the border violates European law. However, the minister clarified that the decision concerns a specific case involving three Somalis.
Dobrindt's policy is in line with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's commitments to curb illegal migration, a response to growing support for the AfD in the run-up to early elections scheduled for February 23.
In his speech, the minister said that Germany was once again an active part of European efforts to tackle illegal migration and was no longer "trapped in the crisis."
Dobrindt added that work was underway to organize additional flights to deport criminals from Syria and Afghanistan. In July, 81 Afghans with rejected asylum applications and court convictions were deported via Qatar.
At the same time, according to media reports, Germany has allowed two representatives of the ruling Taliban regime to work in diplomatic missions in the country. This is seen as a potential signal for the restoration of diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, which were severed after the Taliban seized power in 2021.