Nearly 1000 Illegal Migrants and Criminals Arrested in German Border Controls

berlin - German border controls in September resulted in the arrest of almost a thousand illegal migrants and criminals. The director of the police union stated that the controls are functioning effectively.

German border controls in September have led to the arrest of nearly 1000 illegal migrants and criminals. According to the director of the police union, Rainer Wendt, the controls are a crucial filter and are working properly. He expressed support for the introduction of similar controls by the Netherlands.

Although the Berlin ministry attempted to keep the numbers secret, the initial results of the controls have been leaked. These include figures for North Rhine-Westphalia, a state that shares a border with the Netherlands for the most part (387 kilometers) and a small part of Belgium (99 kilometers). During the first week, the Federal Police detained over nine hundred illegal migrants. Additionally, ten human traffickers and 114 previously convicted criminals were arrested.

Of the nearly one thousand migrants who entered via safe countries, German authorities sent 540 back. However, 196 asylum requests are being processed. The Berlin government plans to interrogate these individuals in border detention centers.

The director of the police union, Wendt, described the western border controls as successful. During the European Championship and the Olympics last summer, temporary border checks resulted in the identification of 9000 illegal migrants, with 7000 individuals sent back and 1200 released convicts detained.

Wendt, also the director of the European police union, emphasized the necessity of stringent border controls as the EU's external borders, especially the Mediterranean, remain inadequately monitored. He highlighted the influx of over a million Ukrainians into Germany, expressing concerns over the financial burden of providing welfare to them. The total cost of accommodating these individuals is estimated at fifty billion euros.

Wendt revealed that thousands of German officers are engaged in border controls, particularly in the southern and eastern regions where many migrants are intercepted. Despite their efforts, some migrants evade capture by navigating through forests, prompting deployment of agents in the hinterlands.

The new border controls, targeting Dutch drug criminals and ATM bombers, have also led to the arrest of 17 extremist suspects. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced the inclusion of measures against potential terrorists from Islamist, left-wing, or right-wing radical backgrounds.

Data from the Federal Police indicates a significant reduction in irregular migration due to border controls. From August 2023 to August this year, the number of irregular migrants decreased by roughly fifty percent, from 15,000 to 7800 individuals. These individuals were detected along the Polish, Czech, Swiss, and French borders in the context of the new controls.