German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has ordered passport checks at all border crossings to stop illegal immigration.
A similar step will be communicated to the European Commission, according to government circles in Berlin. The controls will begin as early as next week, according to Die Welt.
According to government sources, the extra checks will start on 16 September and initially last for six months. Several recent terrorist attacks in Germany appear to be the main reason that Fraser and the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz are taking this step.
To curtail irregular migration, the decision was made to conduct unmandated checks to discuss internal security with current supporters of Islamist terrorism and cross-border crime.
The German government has reportedly developed a “model for effective deportation in line with European law”.
Deportation at Germany’s land borders is currently only possible in certain cases: if someone has been refused entry or has not applied for asylum. Rejection at Germany’s internal borders is only possible where there are checks directly at the border.
Issa Al H. (26), the Syrian who stabbed three people to death and injured eight in Solingen, had been refused asylum in Germany and was supposed to be deported from the country. But nothing happened, and three people lost their lives as a result.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, over 30,000 people have been turned away since October. But with the massive migration that Germany is experiencing, this is a drop in the ocean.
It’s not entirely clear how Fraser envisages this will be implemented. For example, it is not known what she will do with undocumented, illegal migrants who are already in Germany, or all those who pretend to be asylum seekers in need of protection.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s state government welcomes the measures regardless.
– It was extremely important for the federal government to show a clear stance, said NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU)
.So we’ll just have to wait and see if anything actually happens. After all, we’ve heard such promises in the past, without any noticeable consequences.