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German police report significant rise in illegal migration

August 21, 2024

German federal police reported a 33% rise in illegal border crossings in 2023, with most migrants coming from Syria, Turkey, and Afghanistan. The increase was also observed across the EU's external borders.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jjKC
An EU and German flag drawn on the ground under a man's shoes
A surge in illegal immigration has been partly fueled by smugglers putting people in harm's wayImage: Oliver Boehmer/picture alliance

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) released a new report on Wednesday saying that illegal immigration to the country had increased significantly in 2023.

They wrote that 266,224 people were suspected of entering the country illegally, a 33.4% increase on 2022. The BKA said that most had been apprehended by federal police.

EU also sees uptick in illegal crossings

According to the BKA, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency recorded 380,200 unauthorized crossings along the external border of the 29-country Schengen free-movement area.

This is the highest annual number since 2016.

The BKA said that the main countries of origin for people illegally crossing into Germany were Syria (54,207), Turkey (35,732) and Afghanistan (35,370). They claimed that many of these would-be immigrants were being helped by people smugglers.

es/rm (AFP, dpa)

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