German federal police have documented a significant number of irregular entries along the border with the Netherlands in the state of Lower Saxony since September 2024. According to the Federal Police Directorate Hannover, a total of 1,516 unauthorized border crossings have been detected. Simultaneously, 975 individuals were refused entry and 59 suspected human traffickers were apprehended.
These intensified controls are part of the temporary reintroduction of internal border checks, which have been in effect across Germany since last year.
Between May and July of this year alone, the Bad Bentheim Federal Police Inspection registered 365 irregular entries. During this period, 212 individuals were turned away and 14 suspected traffickers were arrested. Notably, authorities discovered 99 individuals subject to outstanding arrest warrants and nine matches to existing searches related to extremist or Islamist networks.
According to the authorities, the controls will continue and also encompass provisions of asylum law. This includes the possibility of refusing entry to asylum seekers arriving from EU member states designated as safe third countries, with exceptions made for vulnerable groups, such as women with young children or individuals with serious medical conditions.
