Migration researcher Gerald Knaus has fundamentally criticized the policy of mandatory pushbacks of asylum seekers at the German internal borders, a procedure originally ordered by Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) about a year ago.
Speaking to the “Redaktionetzwerk Deutschland” Knaus noted that asylum applications in Germany have dramatically decreased compared to those recorded in 2024. However, he argued that this decline is not the result of Berlin’s policies. Instead, the shift is primarily attributable to the developments in Syria, specifically the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, and the subsequent reduction of Syrian refugees across the entire European Union. Knaus pointed out that previously, Germany and Austria were the only two countries in the EU where approximately 80 percent of Syrian refugees sought protection. These two nations are now feeling the strongest impact of this decrease.
According to the scientist, the government is failing to capitalize on this positive trend as a major opportunity for establishing sustainable and humane control over irregular migration into the EU. Instead, he criticized the current administration for implementing what he calls “symbol politics” at the German internal border since May 2025, involving repeat pushbacks towards countries like Austria, Poland, and Switzerland.
Knaus stressed that this border enforcement method-which had historically only been advocated by the AfD party-is fundamentally contrary to European law, lacks sustainability, and proves nearly ineffective despite significant efforts.