Germany Tightens Border Controls to Curb ‘Irregular Migration’

Germany will set up temporary controls on all nine of its land borders to limit “irregular migration,” the German Interior Ministry announced on Monday.

The controls will restrict people traveling into Germany without a visa and will allow officials to refuse migrants directly at the border. They will be in place for the next six months, aiming to curb the increase of threats posed by migration, particularly Islamic extremism.

We are doing everything we can to protect the people in our country against this. We are strengthening our internal security through concrete action, and we are continuing our tough stance against irregular migration.
—Nancy Faeser, German interior minister

EU: The controls will impact Germany’s 2,300 miles of land borders with European Union members:

• Denmark
• The Netherlands
• Belgium
• Luxembourg
• France
• Switzerland
• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Poland

All of which are part of the Schengen Zone, where there are normally no travel restrictions or checks. Under European law, members are only allowed to impose border checks if there is a threat to public policy or internal security.

Germany’s new controls show how seriously it is taking the threat from immigration and Islam.

Learn more: Read “Terror Transforms Germany.”