More unauthorized entries across the German-Polish border

The number of unauthorized entries to Germany via the so-called Belarus route and Poland is once again increasing significantly. According to the Federal Police, only 26 people entered Germany illegally via the Belarus route in January and 25 in February. In March there were already 412 and in April 861 people, the Federal Police announced on Wednesday. The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and the broadcasters NDR and WDR had previously reported on this.

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, around 5,620 unauthorized entries were detected at the German-Polish border by April, a ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday. This figure also includes people who entered Germany via the Balkan route and Poland. The ministry spoke of an "increasing trend in unauthorized migration related to the Russian Federation and Belarus".

The Federal Ministry of the Interior cited several causes. In addition to the warmer weather in spring, Russian security authorities took increased action against people staying in the country without authorization after the terrorist attack in Moscow. "It is also clear that unauthorized migration to the Russian Federation and Belarus is driven by smugglers," the spokesperson continued. Smuggling networks operate very professionally, they are flexible and profit-oriented. The Federal Government is constantly monitoring the development of illegal migration closely and is adjusting its measures accordingly, according to the Ministry of the Interior.

In light of the new development, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag reiterated its call for a change of course in migration policy. "Moscow and Minsk are clearly engaging in hybrid warfare by deliberately attracting people from crisis countries and smuggling them into the EU," First Parliamentary Secretary Thorsten Frei told the German Press Agency in Berlin on Wednesday. "If we want to preserve the basic idea of our asylum legislation in the long term, we can no longer afford to be naive in our approach to migration," he warned.

In October 2023, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) ordered controls at the land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland in order to limit irregular migration and prevent people smuggling. They have been extended several times, most recently until mid-June.