Migration experts are expressing skepticism regarding the effectiveness of Germany’s border controls. Winfried Kluth, chairman of the Council of Experts for Integration and Migration (SVR), told the “Rheinische Post” (Thursday edition) that the discussion around border controls is essentially closed by looking at the numbers. He suggested that the continued enforcement of these controls is more a result of political obstinacy.
Kluth further pointed out that the Interior Ministry is fundamentally a ministry of constitutional law responsible for upholding the rule of law. However, he observed that when pursuing border controls, the ministry resorts to symbolic politics and fails to adhere to the clear directives issued by courts and the EU Commission, calling this a worrying trend.
Hans Vorländer, a migration researcher based in Dresden, added that the actions of maintaining border controls appear, in his view, to be a form of political symbolism meant to project an image of control. He suggested this was especially relevant in response to the AfD party, which has repeatedly highlighted perceived losses of control.
Vorländer explained that continuing border checks between EU member states over several years is legally problematic. For such controls to be justifiable, the specific heightened risk must be individually proven. According to Vorländer, if migration figures have generally decreased, it is difficult to argue plausibly that a danger still exists.
