Germany has turned away thousands of people at its borders since October 2023

By Erbil Basay

BERLIN (AA) - Germany has turned away 43,500 people during border checks over the past 15 months, authorities said Monday.

Border control launched in October 2023 within the scope of combating irregular migration is continuing, Maximilian Kall, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said in Berlin.

Kall said this means that most irregular arrivals into the country have been prevented.

He noted, however, that it is not possible to turn back everyone without discrimination at the borders, arguing that this would jeopardize cooperation with neighboring countries.

Kall said that asylum applications decreased by 111,000 last year compared to the previous year and irregular migration decreased by 34%, while the number of people deported during this period increased by 22%.

He added that considering this data and laws, an "emergency" cannot be declared for comprehensive rejections and there must be a real and serious threat to public order or security in the country for the "emergency" declaration regulated in European Union to be applied.