The number of migrants entering Germany without permission will be significantly higher this year than in previous years – but the upward trend was halted in October, according to data released by Germany’s Federal Police on Monday, writes German Press Agency DPA.
The Federal Police recorded 112.178 unauthorized entries from January to October, the agency announced on Monday. Last year as a whole, there were nearly 92.000 unauthorized arrivals in the country.
The total is the highest since 2015, according to the German government. That was the height of the European refugee crisis.
On October 16, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced plans to reintroduce fixed border checks at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. Those borders within the Schengen area typically have no visa or document checks.
Faeser initially said the border checks would be in place for 10 days, although they have since been extended repeatedly.
Similar border checks have been in place along the German-Austrian border for several years.
The number of irregular migrants arriving in Germany began rising steadily in February, according to the Federal Police figures, and jumped particularly sharply from September to October.
According to the Federal Police, 14.701 unauthorized entries were recorded in August, 21.366 in September and 20.059 in October.
From the beginning of January to the end of October, around 267.000 people filed first-time asylum applications in Germany – around 67% more than in the same period last year.
