On Monday, September 9th, the German government announced temporary border controls at all land borders, aimed at addressing irregular immigration issues and protecting the public from threats such as Islamic extremism.
The German Ministry of the Interior stated in a release that the control measures will commence on September 16th and initially last for six months. Minister Nancy Faeser stated, “We are enhancing domestic security and continuing to take a tough stance on irregular immigration.”
In recent years, Germany’s stance on immigration has become increasingly tough, with the government seeking to regain the initiative in response to a surge in support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party due to immigration concerns. Recent fatal knife attacks carried out by asylum seekers have heightened worries about the immigration issue.
Last month, a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen resulted in three deaths, with the Islamic State claiming responsibility for the incident.
According to reports in Bild, Nancy Faeser from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) ultimately acknowledged that Germany had no choice but to enforce strict border controls to address the staggering number of illegal border crossings.
Faeser has notified the European Commission of this decision, citing deep concerns over Germany’s current immigration situation and internal security threats.
Under the new regulations, immigrants (both legal and illegal) will face strict controls at the borders, as reported by Bild.
However, this decision marks a 180-degree shift in Faeser’s position. Last month, she refused to extend the strict border controls implemented at Germany’s borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland.
Shortly before this latest action, a “emergency” meeting on immigration policy tightening was held by the conservative parliamentary group of the CDU/CSU, the opposition party to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In response to Germany’s new border regulations, Austria stated that it would not accept migrants rejected at the (German) border. Austrian Foreign Minister Gerhard Karner told Bild, “There’s no turning back.”
“This is the law,” he added, instructing the Federal Police President not to allow anyone to turn back to Austria.
Germany announced stricter border controls at its land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland last year to manage a significant increase in asylum applications.
Since mid-October last year, over 30,000 people have been denied entry at the borders under this policy.
The expanded new regulations will affect all land borders stretching over 2,300 miles between Germany and Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland.
Meanwhile, the German Police Union declared at the end of last month that the Schengen Agreement had exacerbated Germany’s security crisis and must be abandoned immediately.
Manuel Ostermann, deputy chairman of the Federal Police Union, strongly criticized the Schengen Agreement in an interview with Focus magazine, calling it a foolish borderless plan of the EU.
“The German security crisis is a direct result of the Schengen policy. Schengen cannot effectively manage immigration and has put Germany’s security at risk,” he pointed out, noting that rising crime rates in Germany due to the immigration crisis demonstrate that Schengen is no longer feasible, as open borders make it easier for criminals to move around Europe.
“Germany must recognize the current failure of Schengen,” he said, suggesting that if the rule of law cannot be restored, Schengen must be terminated.