Germany Ends Open-Border Asylum Policy, Approves Pushbacks of Migrants

Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz has formally ended the open-border asylum policy established under Angela Merkel, mandating immediate rejection of undocumented migrants at the country's borders. Newly appointed Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has ordered the withdrawal of Merkel-era directives, now requiring asylum seekers to apply in the first EU country they enter, and authorizing pushbacks and deportations unless exceptions apply for vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women. The government will expand federal border police by 2,000 to 3,000 officers, raising the total to around 14,000, to enforce these stricter controls. This shift fulfills a core campaign promise by Merz's CDU/CSU alliance amid rising public concern over migration and the growing popularity of the far-right AfD party. The policy change was presented as a means to restore order, address voter anxiety, and discourage irregular migration and smuggling networks. Dobrindt stated that while Germany would not fully close its borders, significant tightening and direct turn-backs would now be the norm.