Germany Extends Border Controls for Six Months, Citing Migration Pressures

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Germany announced Monday it will extend temporary border controls for another six months, with the Interior Ministry saying the measures remain necessary amid what it described as the absence of a “functional European migration policy.”

Spot-checks first introduced in September 2024 will now remain in force until at least mid-September 2026. A ministry spokesperson stated that local authorities continue to face strain and that further steps are necessary to ensure a sustainable migration system for the country and society.

Under the Schengen framework, which normally allows passport-free travel across much of Western and Central Europe, border checks are meant to be abolished except in emergencies. Germany, along with neighboring countries such as Poland and Austria, reinstated some controls, citing threats to order and security linked to irregular migration.

The previous government, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, first introduced the checks after several deadly attacks carried out by foreign nationals. Since taking office in May, a coalition led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz has increased police deployments at the borders to turn back more arrivals.

Merz previously said he expected the measures to end once the European Union strengthened control of its external borders, but authorities have maintained the checks despite a June court ruling that Germany acted unlawfully when it returned three Somali asylum seekers to Poland without reviewing their claims.

Officials reported that nearly 50,000 people were turned back between mid-September 2024 and the end of January due to the controls.

Since assuming office, Merz has taken a stricter stance on migration policy, including deporting some convicted criminals to Afghanistan and tightening rules for refugee family reunification. Meanwhile, the anti-migration Alternative for Germany party is polling at roughly the same level as Merz’s conservative Christian Democratic Union, underscoring the political sensitivity of migration policy in Germany.