Germany intensifies asylum rejections at land borders

asylum seekers border controls Germany migration policy refugee management

Germany is implementing stricter border and asylum policies. Data from the first half of the year shows that the Federal Police rejected more than half of the asylum seekers registered at land borders. Out of 1,024 asylum seekers registered at land borders, 514 were turned away. While approximately 20,000 people were detected entering illegally via land borders, only about five percent of them filed asylum applications.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has intensified temporary border controls, which include the rejection of asylum seekers, excluding vulnerable groups such as minors, pregnant women, or the ill. The highest number of illegal entries was observed at the French border, while the highest proportion of rejections occurred at the Polish border.

At the state level, Rhineland-Palatinate is planning further measures to manage asylum seekers. Interior State Secretary Dirk Herber announced plans to shorten the period after which residents of reception facilities are considered ‘absent’ from three days to two. Those deemed absent will be reported to the police and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and will lose state benefits. The state also intends to establish a secondary migration center to house individuals for whom other EU member states are responsible, aiming to prevent them from disappearing before repatriation.

Entities

Alexander Dobrindt · Common European Asylum System · Dirk Herber · Federal Office for Migration and Refugees · Federal Police · Rheinland-Pfalz · Rhineland-Palatinate

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] New software will be implemented to improve data collection and control over individuals in reception facilities. lokalo.de
[● 3 SOURCES] Rheinland-Pfalz intends to establish a secondary migration center within an existing reception facility, utilizing provisions from the Common European Asylum System (GEAS). lokalo.de
[● 3 SOURCES] Approximately 1,290 people were recorded as missing in Rheinland-Pfalz reception facilities between February 5, 2025, and August 5, 2026. lokalo.de
[● 3 SOURCES] Rheinland-Pfalz plans to reduce the threshold for residents of reception facilities (AfA) to be classified as missing from three days to two days. lokalo.de
[● 3 SOURCES] Missing persons will be reported to the police and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and will no longer receive state benefits. lokalo.de
[● 3 SOURCES] More than 90 percent of the recorded missing persons are required to leave the country. lokalo.de