Stationary border controls on highway 17 lead to first detections of illegally entered migrants

The stationary border controls on highway 17 (Prague-Dresden) have already led to the first arrests of illegally entered migrants. As the Pirna Federal Police Directorate announced on Tuesday in response to a request, a Syrian man who had smuggled six compatriots into Germany in his vehicle was taken out of circulation on Monday evening. The man was temporarily detained, it said. Later, some Turkish nationals were also detected in a tour bus, it said. They were also missing valid entry documents.

Saxony had been pushing for months again and again for stationary controls on the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) did not meet the demands for a long time. On Monday afternoon, controls were then surprisingly started.

On the highway 17 in Breitenau, vehicles must pass a so-called speed funnel with reduced driving speed and are then diverted via a freeway service area. As before, refugees must ask for asylum in order to be transferred to an initial reception facility in Saxony after their identity has been established. Otherwise, they may be turned back to the Czech Republic.

The federal police want to keep the impact on cross-border traffic as low as possible. Nevertheless, according to a dpa report, there was a backlog at the Reitzenhain border crossing in the Erz Mountains on Tuesday morning. There, every truck was checked, every tailboard opened.