On his first day in office, Dobrindt announced stricter border controls, thus fulfilling one of the key election promises of the CDU and the CSU. Federal police turn back asylum seekers.
According to the Tagesschau newspaper, the monthly number of rejections fluctuates “between 2,000 and 3,000.” At the same time, asylum applications are dropping significantly, from 350,000 in 2023 to 170,000 last year. For Dobrindt, this is clear evidence of the success of his policy.
Doubts from judicial circles
“The issue now is that we want to maintain border controls,” Euronews quoted him as saying, citing Die Welt. – So far we have managed to execute 8,000 arrest warrants at the border.”
Dobrindt’s course is beginning to falter from a legal standpoint, as several courts have already ruled border controls illegal. Recently, the administrative court in Koblenz ruled that internal border controls at the Luxembourg-Germany border between March and September 2025 are illegal. The Federal Government has not provided sufficient justification for the reasons for the excessive demand.
Border controls are a “temporary solution”
Responding to criticism, Dobrindt defines controls as a temporary solution. Only when the European migration system is functioning, “we will be able to move away from border controls again.” When this will happen is still unknown.
Dobrindt’s approach to deporting migrants to Afghanistan is particularly controversial. To make this possible, the Interior Ministry relied on direct contacts with the Taliban.
