Alexander Dobrindt, the new German interior minister, instructed the federal police on May 7, 2025, the first day of the new government, to immediately reject all people applying for asylum at the German borders.
This is because they had entered Germany from a neighboring safe third country. Children, pregnant women, and other so-called vulnerable groups are exempt from this rule. The federal police responded by stepping up controls at German borders and carrying out the order.
The first figures were available after a week and were announced at a press conference: According to these figures, the number of rejections at the border rose by 45 percent to 739 cases, although only 32 of these were asylum seekers. Despite the increase in federal police personnel from 11,000 to 14,000, an average of less than five asylum seekers per day were rejected in seven days.
Criticism from abroad and from the trade union
This measure was criticized by the opposition and also from abroad. In Poland, for example, plans to extend border controls and turn back asylum seekers met with resistance from Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Criticism also came from Switzerland, from Justice Minister Beat Jans. Both politicians pointed to the restrictions on border traffic, such as long queues and disadvantages for the economy, and threatened not to take back those who were rejected.
Finally, the German Police Union (GdP) warned of overcrowding in view of the extended border controls. The controls could only be maintained for a few more weeks. “We can only do this because duty rosters have been rearranged, training for the units has been put on hold and overtime is currently not being reduced,” said Andreas Roßkopf, chairman of the federal police in the GdP.
Doubts about legality
A survey of legal experts by the “Mediendienst Integration” also raised doubts about the legality of the border rejections. The Federal Ministry of the Interior bases its measure on the German Asylum Act. According to this, asylum seekers can be refused entry if there are indications that another EU state is responsible for them. However, national asylum law is subordinate to European and international law. Direct rejections of asylum seekers at EU internal borders would be prohibited by two EU laws in particular: According to the Schengen Borders Code (Article 23a), third-country nationals who are apprehended in the border area without a right of residence may be transferred directly to the state from which they entered. However, this explicitly does not apply to asylum seekers. In the case of asylum seekers entering from other EU countries, a responsibility check must also be carried out in accordance with the Dublin III procedure. This procedure determines whether Germany or another EU member state is responsible for the asylum procedure. According to this, every asylum seeker in Germany is also entitled to an individual examination of their application. Without this examination, they may not be turned away. (Tuenews INTERNATIONAL has already reported on this: Refugees do not enter Germany irregularly – tuenews)
Under EU law, an exception can only be made in cases of emergency. In fact, however, the number of asylum seekers in Germany has fallen sharply: there were 36,000 applications in the first quarter, 30,000 fewer than in the same period last year. This has also had an impact in the district of Tübingen. Sven Jäger, head of the department for refugees and integration at the Tübingen district office, reported that only 19 new refugees were assigned to the district between January and May 2025. The Federal Ministry of the Interior does not cite an emergency situation in its reasoning either.
For research by the Media Service Integration: Deportations | Refugees & Asylum | Facts and Figures | MEDIA SERVICE INTEGRATION
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