Official responses from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) reveal that only a small fraction of the foreigners rejected at the border later seek asylum in Germany. According to data released in the BMI’s reply to an inquiry by the AfD, authorities consistently reject between 3,000 and 4,000 people monthly, while approximately 300 to 400 individuals who were previously rejected at a border subsequently apply for asylum in Germany each month.
Specifically, the federal government noted that between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, 5,020 individuals had applied for asylum or received a protection status after having previously been rejected at a German border, potentially long before. Of this group, 845 people received a protection status during the specified time frame.
The federal government also stated that the Federal Police rejected a total of 38,831 individuals between May 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. However, because this data relies on the Police Entry Statistics, it is only compiled up to March 2026 and may change slightly due to follow-up assessments.
AfD parliamentary vice-chair Sebastian Münzenmeier, who submitted the original inquiry, asserted that border controls must remain a priority. He stressed that those who are rejected for valid reasons should not be permitted to attempt re-entry and apply for asylum shortly thereafter, arguing that a “blocking period” is necessary. Münzenmeier further advocated for shifting the processing of asylum applications to third countries outside the EU. As an immediate measure, he proposed that the government reduce the provision of social benefits, predicting this would naturally curb the influx of asylum seekers and thus relieve pressure at the border, noting that “much more needs to be done for a real migration turnaround”.
In contrast, researchers studying migration critique the simplistic push-and-pull model used since the 1960s, noting that it drastically oversimplifies complex migration processes, and the concept of the “pull factor of the welfare state” is not considered a deciding factor when viewed in isolation.
Heiko Teggatz, chairman of the DPolG police union, maintained that border controls are effective. He informed the newspaper that anyone apprehended and rejected by the federal police for “illegal entry” is registered, including the collection of fingerprints and photographs. Teggatz assured that even if a rejected person does not express a wish for protection, this data is recorded and entered into the central foreign register. This system, he explained, allows the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees to identify if a person has previously been recorded as having illegally entered from another EU state or even rejected there, which simplifies determining which European country is responsible for handling the asylum application.
