Germany Plans Stricter Border Controls, Rejects Asylum Seekers

Germany's new government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, has announced a significant shift in migration policy by instructing police to immediately turn away undocumented migrants and most asylum seekers at the border, with exceptions for vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women. This reverses the 2015 policy under Angela Merkel, which allowed all asylum seekers to enter and have their cases processed. The government plans to double the number of border police and deploy mobile control units to strengthen enforcement. While the aim is to tighten the European asylum system, the policy has drawn criticism for potentially violating German and EU law and has raised concerns from neighboring countries like Poland, which warned against unilateral measures that could leave migrants stranded on their territory. German officials emphasize that border rejections will be coordinated with European neighbors to avoid excessive demands on other states. The move is seen as a clear signal of a tougher stance on migration by the new conservative-led government.