Between May 8, 2025, and May 7, 2026, federal police officers reported the detection of 47,659 unauthorized entries at German borders, according to data analyzed by the federal police’ special reporting service, as cited by “Bild”.
Of these individuals, an immediate count showed that 34,914 people were either turned away or pushed back at the border or in connection with the illegal border crossing. Specifically, 1,371 migrants were rejected under Paragraph 18 (1) of the Asylum Act, while 69 individuals were pushed back under Paragraph 18 (3). An exception was made for a group of 294 people belonging to vulnerable categories, who were allowed to submit an asylum application. Furthermore, 1,821 people were prevented from entering because they possessed outstanding re-entry bans for Germany.
Police forces also made several other detentions. 1,415 human smugglers were temporarily arrested, and 8,842 additional people with pending arrest warrants were detained as bycatch. Among these detainees, federal police identified 1,581 individuals belonging to left-wing, right-wing, foreign-extremist, or Islamist extremist groups.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) told “Bild” that the tightening of border controls serves as a visible signal that Germany’s migration policy has undergone a “fundamental change”. He stated that this strict enforcement mechanism is a successful measure designed to deliver a significant blow to criminal smuggling rings.