Germany’s new government has ordered tighter border controls, marking a sharp shift in immigration policy and fulfilling a key campaign promise of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, Merz was elected chancellor on the second attempt on Tuesday after failing his first confirmation vote in parliament earlier in the day. He had pledged to turn back illegal migrants at the border on his first day in office.
On Wednesday, newly appointed Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt signed an order banning asylum applications at all land borders. In a letter seen by Bild, he instructed the head of the Federal Police, Dieter Romann, to disregard a directive from 2015.
“I hereby withdraw the verbal instruction given… on 13 September 2015,” he wrote.
The instruction came from then Chancellor Angela Merkel, who opened Germany’s borders to more than a million migrants at the height of Europe’s 2015–16 refugee crisis. Her open-door policy later drew fierce political backlash and was labeled “disastrous” by critics.
Dobrindt said Germany would not close its borders but would significantly tighten control. Police have been instructed to turn people away directly at the border, he told a press conference, noting exceptions for children, pregnant women, and other “vulnerable” groups.
The minister added that around 2,000 to 3,000 officers would be added to the current 11,000-strong federal police force stationed at the borders. He emphasized that the new approach should not “place excessive demands” on neighboring states and confirmed consultations were already underway with those countries.
Germany has a 3,700km-long land border with nine countries, including Poland, Austria, France, and the Netherlands. All are part of the EU’s Schengen Zone, which allows passport-free travel for most EU citizens and many non-EU nationals.
Migration remains one of Germany’s most divisive political issues, with local authorities often warning that the number of asylum seekers is straining their budgets. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, known for its strong anti-immigration stance, was designated a “confirmed extremist entity” last week by the domestic intelligence agency BfV, which said its activities could threaten Germany’s democratic order. The party filed a legal challenge on Monday.
As the EU’s largest economy, Germany remains the top destination for asylum seekers. The country received a quarter (over 237,000) of all asylum applications across the bloc in 2024, though the number was significantly lower in annual terms.
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