The Federal Police reported significantly more unauthorized entries in Bavaria last year than in the previous year. In total, officers reported more than 34,000 cases, an increase of almost 5,000 compared to 2022, the Munich Federal Police Directorate said. At the same time, the number of cases in which migrants were rejected or immediately deported fell – from around 17,500 to around 13,600.
At the end of the year, according to Federal Police figures, there were indications of a trend reversal. The number of unauthorized entries into Bavaria in November 2023 was 1,751, a good half lower than in the same month last year. In December 2023, around 2,300 entries without permission were registered, around 200 fewer cases than in December 2022. In the other months, however, the numbers for the past year were mostly higher than in the corresponding month of the previous year. A federal police spokesman said the decline at the end of the year was “a sign of the effectiveness of the temporarily reintroduced internal border controls on the German-Czech border.”
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) extended the in-patient checks ordered in mid-October 2023 in December until at least March 15, 2024. Such controls have been possible at the border with Austria since 2015.
According to the federal police’s assessment, there are other reasons for the decline, said the spokesman. For example, measures taken by the Serbian security authorities on the border with Hungary have led to a significant reduction in unauthorized entries there. This also affects irregular migration to Germany.
Migrants who entered irregularly include all people who come to Germany without appropriate permission such as identification documents, visas or residence permits. Unauthorized entry can result in fines or imprisonment. According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, if asylum applications are successful, such criminal proceedings are generally discontinued.