Migration to Germany: Dobrindt Announces Rejection of Asylum Seekers

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Migration to Germany: Dobrindt Announces Rejection of Asylum Seekers Mona Jaeger • 14 hours • 2 minutes read Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has taken initial measures to reduce the influx of people to Germany. To this end, border controls, which have been in place since September 2024, are to be expanded; more federal police personnel will be deployed at the borders. This will result in even more people being rejected who do not have entry permits. This is already happening, but will be done on an even larger scale. According to Dobrindt, this does not involve border closures. Dobrindt wants to go one step further, however. As promised during the election campaign, people who apply for asylum will also be rejected in the future. This was considered illegal under former Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). Dobrindt intends to rebut in writing an order issued verbally by Angela Merkel in 2015 on Wednesday, so that the Federal Police can and should again reject asylum seekers in the future. In contrast to his campaign statements, however, Dobrindt no longer stated that no one would be allowed to enter the country illegally. On Wednesday, he spoke of a "step-by-step" approach. This would reduce the system's overload and send a signal of control to the country's European neighbors and the world. The number of rejections should increase "gradually." Vulnerable groups, specifically children and pregnant women, would be exempt from rejections. Greater emphasis on order Federal Police President Dieter Romann appeared alongside Dobrindt. He thanked the new Interior Minister for his trust in the Federal Police. The border controls so far have already shown "astonishing success." He cited the following figures: Between September 16, 2024, and April 6, 2025, 34,000 unauthorized entries were registered, and 23,000 people were turned back – all of whom had not applied for asylum. Dobrindt cited "humanity and order" as the overriding principle of his approach, adding that the element of order would be given greater weight in the future than in the past. "It's about clarity, consistency, and control." The additional border controls—the Bild newspaper reports an additional 2,000 to 3,000 federal police officers at the borders—are demanding a great deal from the emergency services. Dobrindt said they did not want to overburden their European neighbors. He himself had already spoken with many representatives of neighboring countries, as had Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). The talks were ongoing, and coordination was close. The new Interior Minister said he wanted to ensure at the European level that the discussion about migration shifted away from internal borders and toward external borders. Migrants must be prevented from entering Europe there. The common goal in Europe is to return to open internal borders. However, he said, "open dysfunctionality" is currently being experienced. Only once this has been resolved can border controls be scaled back.