Germany on Monday expanded border controls to the frontiers with all its nine neighbours in hopes of curbing the flow of irregular migrants, a move that has sparked protests from other EU members.
Federal police in high-visibility vests braved rains at road and highway crossings for spot checks of passenger cars, buses and other vehicles, asking to see people’s identity papers and checking the trunks of some cars.
Germany lies at the heart of Europe and of the visa-free Schengen zone, which is designed to allow the free movement of people and goods, long a core idea of the European project.
Berlin announced the sweeping measure last week following a string of deadly extremist attacks that have stoked public fears and boosted support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Poland and Austria have been among countries to complain about the move, which is set to last an initial six months.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the step aimed to limit irregular migration and “put a stop to criminals and identify and stop Islamists at an early stage”.
The controls slowed traffic, but some people voiced support. Elle Rendigs, 70, who was headed from Germany to the French city of Strasbourg, said she hoped the stepped-up policing would bring “a bit more security”.
Border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland were already in place before the crackdown was announced.
These have now been expanded to Germany’s borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
Faeser said the government hoped to minimise the impact on people living and working in border regions, promising “coordination with our neighbouring countries”.
On the Polish border, a small group of protesters stood near the bridge at Frankfurt on the Oder, one waving a placard that called for “Open worlds, open minds, open borders”.
The controls on the way into the German side, were “not good for the city”, local resident Waltraut, 77, told AFP.
Germany expanded the border controls after a string of suspected Islamist attacks stirred concerns over immigration.
Last month, a man on a knife rampage killed three people and wounded eight at a festival in the western city of Solingen.
The Syrian suspect, who has alleged links to the Islamic State group, had been due to be deported but managed to evade authorities.
With national elections looming next year, the attacks put intense political pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to toughen its stance on migrants and asylum seekers.
As well as increasing the extent of controls at its borders, Germany has presented plans to speed up deportations to European partners.
Under EU rules, asylum requests are meant to be handled by the country of arrival. The system has placed a huge strain on countries on the European periphery, where leaders have demanded more burden-sharing.
Covering hundreds of extra kilometres of borderland will “definitely not be possible to do without any gaps”, German police union leader Andreas Rosskopf told broadcaster RBB.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the daily Stuttgarter Zeitung there were “alternatives to restrictive measures” such as turning migrants back at the border.
“A fixation on border controls will not deter the truly desperate,” Grandi said.
Germany’s new controls would see spot checks carried out anywhere within 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border, said Daniel Rosin, a spokesman for police in Kehl, which sits on the opposite side of the Rhine to Strasbourg.
Police will operate not only along the roads, but on “trams and cross-border trains” connecting the two countries, Rosin said.
Rene Hemmert, 69, travelling from France to Germany, said the controls reminded him “of when I was younger”, before the Schengen zone was established.
“I think it’s a good thing because of all the problems we have, with immigration,” said Hemmert.
“It’s the same as in France, they should do the same.”
