The Bundestag has approved a motion to impose stricter migration measures following a fatal knife attack in Bavaria
The German Bundestag has voted to tighten border controls, passing a motion that calls for increased checks at land borders amid growing immigration and security concerns. As Germany is part of the Schengen agreement on free movement, critics claim the decision could violate EU laws.
The vote on Wednesday followed a fatal knife attack in Bavaria last week, in which a rejected Afghan asylum-seeker killed two people, including a two-year-old child, and injured several others. Opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has since pushed for urgent measures, emphasizing stricter border enforcement and round-the-clock patrols.
Merz’s nonbinding motion passed by 348 votes to 345, with 10 abstentions, with notable backing from the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD). It calls for indefinite border controls, random identity checks, and detainment of individuals without valid residency.
The move aligns with a broader trend in Europe, where countries including Austria, Denmark, and France have reintroduced border controls and stricter checks in response to security concerns.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed the Bundestag’s vote, writing “Good morning, Germany! Welcome to the club,” on X on Thursday. Budapest has also implemented tighter border measures in recent years.
The decision has triggered a backlash. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Berlin on Wednesday as critics, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, have argued that the motion could hurt EU cohesion and violate Schengen rules. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned it could also face legal challenges from Brussels.
The vote comes ahead of Germany’s parliamentary elections, set for February 23, after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing ‘traffic light’ coalition. The CDU is leading in the polls, with the AfD in second place ahead of Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, remains a top destination for irregular migrants, receiving nearly a quarter of the more than 500,000 asylum applications lodged in the EU in the first half of 2024. Most migrants are from Syria and Afghanistan, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).
Meanwhile, Germany has seen a rise in violent crime, with non-Germans disproportionately represented. In Bavaria, police crime statistics for 2023 suggest nearly 40% of violent crimes were committed by foreigners, who make up just 16% of the population.
A recent Ipsos survey found that over a third of Germans see immigration as a key issue affecting them personally.
