In a move to bolster border controls, the Federal Police has requested additional support from the customs authorities, according to a report by the German newspaper Bild, citing the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Since two weeks ago, around 14,000 federal police officers have been intensifying border controls against illegal migrant entries and now, an additional 500 customs officials are expected to join the effort, the newspaper reported. A spokesperson for the Finance Ministry was quoted as saying, “The Federal Police has submitted a request for official assistance to support the border controls and this is currently being reviewed by the customs authorities.”
Previously, 450 customs officials had been working alongside the Federal Police at the border. The customs authorities have already been providing official assistance in border sections East, covering the German-Polish and German-Czech border areas, as well as in border sections West, covering the land borders with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark, since October 2023 and September 2024, respectively. Additionally, the customs authorities are taking on border police tasks at the border with Switzerland.
Between May 8 and 27, the Federal Police detected 3,020 unauthorized entries, with 2,331 individuals being turned back at the border, including 120 migrants who had filed asylum applications. Of those, 33 people, including the sick, children and pregnant women, were eventually allowed to enter the country.