The government wants to introduce more clarity, to gain more control, to work more consistency, the number of illegal entries is too high, Dobrindt said. “This is an issue of clarity, consistency and control at a time when we are losing all three,” he said at a news briefing. The news was initially reported by Bild, the top-selling newspaper in Germany.

Merkel’s Reversal of Course on Migration Policy 2015
The new order is a de facto reversal of a 2015 directive from the former chancellor, Angela Merkel, that had allowed undocumented third-country nationals to come to Germany, and particularly at the height of the Syrian refugee crisis. Hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers were allowed into the country during Merkel’s term.

The policy shift is not without controversy. Dobrindt’s order throws up legal issues given that Germany’s current coalition agreement – between Merz’s conservative alliance and the Social Democrats – says such moves must be coordinated with neighbouring countries.

The interior ministry intends to station as many as 3,000 additional officers at Germany’s borders, taking the total number of border police in the country to roughly 14,000 in a bid to better control irregular migration, Bild reported.

Crackdown on Migration Keeps Election Promise
The chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had promised more hard-line measures against migration during the campaign ahead of Germany’s federal election in February. His pledge came after a spate of violent attacks on migrants and amid a surge in support in the country for far-right political movements.

Aside from turning away asylum seekers at the borders, Merz’s coalition also advocates for deportations to Syria, and to end family reunification, which would mark an even more stark break from Merkel-era migration policies.

This new approach seeks to restore public confidence in the immigration system, at the same time managing the tensions related to national security and integration.

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