Germany Steps Up Deportations, Border Checks
Nov 13, 2025
Category: Border and Security Germany Migration News
Germany has ramped up deportations and border checks this year, turning away nearly 19,000 people since May as part of a new government push to curb irregular migration across Europe’s borders.
The tougher stance follows a nationwide “repatriation offensive” aimed at speeding up removals and tightening entry rules.
Government pushes “repatriation offensive”
Germany’s new coalition government — made up of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Christian Social Union (CSU), and Social Democrats (SPD) — has announced a campaign to speed up the deportation of people who no longer have the right to stay in the country.
Officials described the plan as a “repatriation offensive,” promising faster removals and stronger cooperation between federal and state authorities.
The effort includes building more detention spaces for people awaiting deportation and encouraging voluntary returns through financial and counseling support.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said that the aim was to “restore credibility to migration law” by enforcing departures for rejected asylum seekers.
Germany has not deported anyone to Syria for over a decade, but talks have now begun with Syrian officials to allow limited returns.
Border checks tightened nationwide
Since May, border police have introduced tougher checks at all nine of Germany’s land borders. Between May and October, 18,598 people were denied entry after officers identified them as attempting to cross illegally or re-enter the country under a ban.
The new controls have led to the arrest of more than 850 suspected smugglers and the discovery of nearly 4,600 people wanted under arrest warrants, according to the Federal Police. Exemptions apply to “vulnerable groups” such as children and pregnant women.
The move follows a sharp rise in irregular migration last year and aims to reduce what authorities called “secondary movements” across Europe — when asylum seekers move between EU countries after registering in one.
Legal, political debate
The tougher approach has sparked legal and political debate within Germany and the EU. In June, a German court ruled that border police acted unlawfully when they turned away Somali asylum seekers without processing their claims.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has urged caution, saying that deportations to conflict zones like Syria are “only possible to a very limited extent.”
But Chancellor Friedrich Merz countered that the war there “is over” and that asylum should not be granted “without valid grounds.”
Voluntary return over forced removal
Migration officials said that voluntary return remains more effective than deportation. In Berlin, for example, around 15,000 people are expected to leave Germany voluntarily this year, compared to about 1,700 deportations.
Engelhard Mazanke, head of Berlin’s immigration office, said that the state prefers “supporting people to go home on their own terms rather than through forced removal.”
Europe’s borders are closing in
The crackdown comes as European countries prepare for new migration systems, including the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will tighten border management across the Schengen Area.
Germany’s push reflects a wider EU trend toward stricter migration enforcement — balancing public pressure to control borders with legal obligations to protect asylum rights.
Germany draws the line
Germany’s tougher border checks and rising deportations mark a clear shift toward stricter migration control across Europe.
The government said that the goal is to enforce the law fairly and ease pressure on asylum systems, while critics warned that it tests the balance between security and human rights.
As the EU prepares to roll out new digital border systems next year, Germany’s actions show how Europe is tightening movement rules in response to migration pressures that show no sign of slowing.
The debate over how to manage those borders — and the people crossing them — is far from over.