Germany reintroduces border checks to curb migration, experts question long-term impact
- In Reports
- 09:47 PM, Sep 16, 2024
- Myind Staff
Germany reinstated temporary border checks with countries like France and the Netherlands on Monday to help tackle illegal migration and cross-border crime.
Germany's coalition government has adopted a stricter approach to migration after an increase in arrivals, especially from people escaping war and poverty in the Middle East, along with growing support for the opposition far-right and conservative parties.
However, these measures have raised concerns among migration experts, who doubt their long-term effectiveness and suggest they are more symbolic than practical.
"The signal is deterrence - an attempt to demonstrate the ability to act," said Hans Vorlaender, chairperson of Germany's expert council on integration and migration.
Vorlaender noted that while the border controls might have a short-term deterrent effect, smuggling networks usually find new routes. He suggested that a more sustainable approach would be to process migrants' asylum applications at the EU's external borders.
The border controls are being reinstated at a time when Germany has experienced a 21.7% decrease in asylum applications during the first eight months of the year.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser credited this decline to controls introduced last year, which stopped more than 30,000 unauthorised entries.
However, migration experts interviewed by Reuters said it's hard to confirm that these measures directly caused the drop.
The newly reinstated controls mainly focus on asylum seekers coming from neighbouring EU countries, following the EU's Dublin rules. These rules state that asylum applications must be processed in the first EU country where the person arrives.
Marc Speer, a sociologist at bordermonitoring.eu, noted that only 30% of asylum applications in Germany are Dublin cases.
Marcus Engler, a researcher at the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), explained that migration patterns are usually influenced by various factors, such as political changes in migrants' home countries and adjustments in EU and national policies.
"It's challenging to scientifically assess how these border controls influence the arrival of irregular migrants," he said.
Maximilian Pichl, an asylum law professor at RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, stated that Germany is still committed to EU asylum laws and must offer individual procedures for asylum claims, which greatly influences refugees' choice of destination. He also highlighted the importance of existing migration networks and communities in Germany, which continue to attract migrants.
The new checks now cover Germany's northern and western borders with countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, and Denmark, in addition to existing controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland.
On Monday, reports indicated that traffic at the borders was running smoothly. However, these controls have been criticised by neighbouring countries, including Poland and Austria, with critics arguing that they threaten the EU's principle of free movement and could weaken solidarity within the bloc.
The interior ministry stated that federal police will conduct checks flexibly, aiming to minimise disruptions for commuters, travellers, and trade. Still, with limited policing resources, these selective checks, referred to as "smart controls," may lead to racial profiling, experts warn.
"These checks are usually directed against people of colour. Studies show that such random checks can open the door to racial profiling," said Pichl.
On Monday, the German interior ministry reaffirmed that racially motivated police actions are unacceptable and illegal.
Image source: Reuters
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