Refugee numbers back up despite border checks
The migrant influx into Germany has risen sharply again, days after the introduction of border controls, with police counting 9,100 irregular entries Wednesday, up from about 6,000 the previous day.
Federal police said Thursday that "almost all came from Austria", with about 2,000 arriving on trains Wednesday and the rest by road or on foot, three days after Germany introduced passport checks on borders Sunday.
Germany may receive one million people seeking refugee status this year, up from the record 800,000 arrivals predicted so far, said Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel on Monday.
Europe's biggest economy has become the top destination for refugees fleeing wars in Syria and elsewhere, and Berlin has effectively waived EU rules that compel migrants to seek asylum in the first EU country they enter.
Berlin has described its reintroduction of passport checks as a way to boost security, crack down on human traffickers and make the system more orderly by registering asylum-seekers when they first enter the country.
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Federal police said Thursday that "almost all came from Austria", with about 2,000 arriving on trains Wednesday and the rest by road or on foot, three days after Germany introduced passport checks on borders Sunday.
Germany may receive one million people seeking refugee status this year, up from the record 800,000 arrivals predicted so far, said Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel on Monday.
Europe's biggest economy has become the top destination for refugees fleeing wars in Syria and elsewhere, and Berlin has effectively waived EU rules that compel migrants to seek asylum in the first EU country they enter.
Berlin has described its reintroduction of passport checks as a way to boost security, crack down on human traffickers and make the system more orderly by registering asylum-seekers when they first enter the country.
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