A total of 1,546 people were sent back after crossing the border illegally between September 16 and September 30, while 39 were turned away at the border and banned from re-entering Germany. 49 people smugglers were also detained.
Since September 16, control has been carried out on all German land borders in order to reduce the number of migrants entering the country illegally.
Border control had previously been restored on the borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Poland and France, but in mid-September the German police also restored it on the borders with Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The renewed border control will initially last for six months, but may be extended. On the border with Austria, it has been going on since 2015.
The authorities did not reveal how many migrants were stopped at the borders where controls were restored in mid-September, and how many at borders where controls have been in place for some time.
The German Police Union (GdP) claimed a couple of days ago that the expansion of border controls has so far not contributed much to curbing illegal immigration and that only a small number of illegal immigrants and smugglers have been caught at the western borders. GdP says that people are simply bypassing checkpoints.
Several European countries, including Poland, Denmark and Greece, have criticized the expansion of border control, which is allowed in the Schengen area only in exceptional cases.
2024-10-01 20:45:29