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Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser
Photo: Maja Hitij / Getty Images
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser is relying on increased border controls in the fight against smugglers and illegal migration in the future. For an intensified crackdown on refugee smugglers, the SPD politician has now ordered additional controls by the federal police directly at the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic.
"We want to prevent evasive movements of smugglers through flexible and mobile controls at changing locations," Faeser said on Wednesday in Berlin. "We absolutely have to stop the cruel business of the smugglers, because they put human lives at risk with maximum profit," said the SPD politician. At the same time, however, it will be ensured that the controls on commuters and freight transport have "as little impact as possible".
Faeser therefore refrains from permanent controls at border crossings, contrary to what the Union demands. According to the minister, the additional focus controls are to be carried out "with immediate effect". They were also to take place "on the border line" with neighbouring states and were to complement the veil search that had been practiced up to now.
Unlike stationary border controls, however, the new controls do not have to be notified to the EU Commission, Faeser said. However, it did not rule this out for the future if the situation required it.
The additional controls are to be supported by German customs with up to 500 enforcement officers. This was announced by the Federal Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner (FDP), who is responsible for customs, during the government questioning in the Bundestag. "After 2015, Germany has partially lost control over access to this country," Lindner admitted. This state of affairs must not be allowed to continue."
asc/dpa/AFP