Germany expands border controls to curb migrant arrivals after suspected Islamist attacks

Sept. 16, 2024, 2:51 p.m.

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Germany on Monday (September 16) expanded its border controls to all nine neighboring countries to limit the flow of undocumented migrants, a move that has drawn criticism from other EU member states.

Spot checks across borders

Federal police, wearing high-visibility vests, conducted random inspections at road and highway crossings despite heavy rains. Officers stopped passenger cars, buses, and other vehicles, asking for identification and searching the trunks of some vehicles.

Berlin announced the new policy last week after a series of fatal extremist attacks that increased public anxiety and supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Stopping Islamists

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the expanded controls aim to reduce irregular migration and “stop criminals and identify Islamists early.”

Germany's decision to expand controls followed suspected Islamist attacks, including a knife attack last month in Solingen that resulted in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to eight others. The Syrian suspect, linked to the Islamic State group, had evaded deportation.

Expanded controls across all neighbouring borders

Under this policy, checks can be conducted within a 30-kilometer radius of the border, according to police spokesperson Daniel Rosin in Kehl, near the border with Strasbourg, France. Besides road patrols, officers will also monitor cross-border trams and trains.

Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland were already in place prior to this intensified crackdown. The measure now extends controls to the borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark.

Political pressure and security concerns

With national elections looming next year, the recent attacks have put Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government under pressure to adopt stricter policies regarding migrants and asylum seekers.

Andreas Rosskopf, head of the German police union, expressed concerns to broadcaster RBB about the feasibility of policing the expanded border area, questioning the effectiveness of this measure in stemming migration and human trafficking.

With inputs from AFP