German police tighten border checks, refuse entry to Afghan asylum seekers

German authorities have begun implementing stricter border control measures, turning away asylum seekers attempting to enter the country, according to the DPA news agency.

A spokesperson for the Trier police said four Afghan nationals — two women and two men — were refused entry after arriving from Luxembourg, Caliber.Az reports via German media.

The group had previously applied for asylum in Greece.

They were identified during a routine train inspection at Trier's central station. Following consultations with law enforcement authorities in Luxembourg, the individuals were returned to that country.

According to the police, the Afghans do not fall under the category of vulnerable persons, who are exempt from the new German Interior Ministry directive.

To recall, Germany’s new government under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ordered border officers to reject most undocumented migrants, including asylum seekers, as part of a wider crackdown on irregular migration. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt confirmed the measure, reversing the 2015 directive that had allowed mass entries during the height of the European migrant crisis. Exceptions will apply only to vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children.

The decision, implemented shortly after the new government took office, aims to stem the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which finished second in February’s elections and is gaining ground in the polls. Merz, seeking to regain control of the immigration narrative, said the measures are temporary but necessary amid high levels of irregular migration across the EU. He notified French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in advance, stressing a collaborative European solution.

The CDU/CSU-SPD coalition agreement mandates refusal of entry for all undocumented arrivals, a stance some SPD figures warn may breach EU law. Border controls will remain until the EU’s external borders are effectively secured. Dobrindt announced the deployment of 2,000–3,000 additional officers to enforce the new policy.

The move has drawn criticism from neighbouring countries and human rights advocates. Domestically, it underscores a hardline shift amid rising public concern over migration and recent violent incidents involving foreign nationals.

By Aghakazim Guliyev