Germany extends border controls to curb irregular migration

BERLIN: Germany on Monday moved to tighten border controls and curb irregular migrant inflows after several suspected Islamist attacks sparked public anger and piled pressure on the government. Temporary controls would be extended to Germany´s land borders with all nine of its EU neighbours, the interior ministry said in a statement.

These would limit migration and “protect against the acute dangers posed by terrorism and serious crime”, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told a press conference. Chancellor Olaf Scholz´s government has faced rising pressure to curb irregular migrant numbers and crack down on extremists after several suspected attacks.

Late last month, three people were killed in a knife rampage in the western city of Solingen, in which the Syrian suspect had been slated for deportation but evaded law enforcement. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, came just a week before key regional elections in eastern Germany and inflamed the debate on immigration in the country.

The far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany scored historic successes in the votes in two formerly communist states, a little over a year before national elections. The extended border controls, which will come into force on September 16 for an initial six months, were notified to the European Commission on Monday, the ministry said.

Germany already has temporary controls along its border with Austria, which were implemented in 2015 to counter a large influx of migrants and have stayed in place since. Temporary controls along the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland were also introduced last year as concerns over migration grew again.