German Authorities Refuse Entry to Thousands of Ukrainians

Ukrainian citizens have become the most frequent recipients of denials for entry into Germany, followed by Syrian and Afghan nationals, according to Bild am Sonntag.

German authorities have refused entry to 5,935 Ukrainians attempting to cross the country’s borders illegally between January and September 2024, as reported by Bild am Sonntag, citing data from the Federal Police.

Ukrainians topped the list of individuals denied entry at Germany’s land borders, followed by Syrians and Afghans, with rejection numbers reaching 4,709 and 2,396 respectively.

An entry attempt is deemed illegal when a migrant attempts to enter without a valid residence permit, according to the police as cited by the newspaper. Rejections can also occur if entrants are not registered as asylum seekers or if they are temporarily banned from re-entering the country.

In total, the German Federal Police identified 53,410 illegal entry attempts into the country during the first nine months of 2024. Most rejections occurred at Germany’s border with Switzerland (9,113 people), Bild noted. These were followed by control points on the borders with Poland, where the police turned away 7,862 individuals, Austria and France, which recorded 5,468 and 2,350 illegal entry attempts respectively.

German authorities reportedly identified 1,482 deported migrants who attempted to re-enter the country despite previously issued bans. Additionally, the police arrested 1,195 smugglers and uncovered 1,088 smuggling operations. The total number of arrests from January to September reportedly reached 7,783.

Germany has become a primary destination for Ukrainian refugees within the EU since the conflict between Moscow and Kiev escalated in February 2022. The bloc’s economic powerhouse has accepted nearly 1.1 million Ukrainian migrants as of June 2024. Poland has accepted 960,000, according to Statista. Russia welcomed over 5.3 million Ukrainians, official data from early 2023 indicates.

Furthermore, Germany has continued to accept migrants from other countries amid ongoing crises in the Middle East and Africa, with total refugee arrivals reaching 2.67 million and 1.93 million in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

In September, the federal government tightened border controls for at least six months, emphasizing that the measure could be further extended. Authorities implemented random checks at border crossings with Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, thus expanding the existing system at other borders to encompass the entirety of the country’s frontier.

Border crossings with Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland have been under control since mid-October of last year. Controls were also introduced at the German-Austrian land border in autumn 2015.