migration
Interior Minister: A good 700 smugglers have been arrested since October
A group of 18 men and one woman, who say they are from Syria, are picked up by the federal police near the Polish border following a tip from citizens. photo
© Bernd Wüstneck/dpa
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser sees initial successes in limiting irregular migration. The numbers at a glance:
Faeser referred to decisions made by the federal government, which is supported by the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. “We have legally ensured faster asylum procedures. Our comprehensive legislative package for more and faster deportations is in force. And now, with the payment card instead of cash, we have clearly shown that we help refugees from war and terror, but at the same time prevent cash from being given to smugglers goes.”
Faeser also praised the adoption of the EU asylum reform, which has been controversial for years. In this way, Europe is showing its ability to act. “On Monday I will be at the EU’s external border between Bulgaria and Turkey to see how the massively increased protection of the external borders and human rights-compliant asylum procedures are now being implemented as quickly as possible.”
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, 329,120 people applied for asylum for the first time in Germany in 2023, around 50 percent more than in the previous year – most came from Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan. In the first quarter of this year, 65,419 initial applications were made, around 19 percent fewer than in the same period last year.