Advertising videos on Tiktok, searching for drivers on Instagram, arranging appointments via Telegram... People smugglers are now arranged almost exclusively on social networks. "Germany is the main target in the EU," according to a new report on the smuggling situation published by the Federal Criminal Police (BKA). The report could be the basis for the German government to decide whether to extend border controls in the east and south of the country.
From October 2023, border controls with the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland have been strengthened. The federal police has been in action for a long time due to migration on the border with Austria. Due to the expanded controls, significantly more crimes were detected: the report recorded 7.924 smuggling cases for 2023, which is 60 percent more than in the previous year.
At the same time, the smugglers are becoming more and more ruthless. The BKA states that "the so-called container smuggling has increased", in which people are much more often exposed to the risk of "lack of oxygen, dehydration, hypothermia or an increased risk of injury".
The most common type of vehicle used for this is small vans. They are easy to rent and do not require a special driver's license. The average number of people who are pushed into the cargo space during smuggling has almost doubled within a year - from ten to 19.
The main road leads through Poland
Officials arrested nearly 40.000 people "suspected of illegal transfer," the report said. Almost half of them were Syrian citizens, and Turkish citizens made up a quarter. More than a third are walking when they are found by the police - but they are usually thrown out of the van first, BKA investigations show.
The main route leads through Poland: more than 40 percent of smuggled people came through the German-Polish border, and a third through Austria. About 22 percent of those who entered the country crossed the German-Czech border.
From Belarus to Germany
According to the report, the typical smuggler is male and between 25 and 39 years old. Ten percent of the suspects are Germans, so the vast majority are from abroad, mostly Syrians. However, entire organized crime smuggling gangs are often "dominated by German nationals".
It is also observed that Ukrainians are increasingly entering the smuggling business. First of all, they bring Afghans or Syrians from Belarus to Germany.
What are the advantages of border control?
The report also offers an initial indication of the controversial question of what border controls are useful for. Most of the people smuggled in 2023 attempted it in the summer months, from July to September. Their number decreases slightly in October, and then a significant decrease is recorded in November.
It's probably not just because of the harsher weather conditions. The German BKA attributes that decline primarily to the re-introduction of internal border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, as well as the measures taken by the Serbian police on the so-called the Balkan route.
So the controls have some effect. Smuggling becomes more visible and investigations can be initiated. They provide important clues about which routes are becoming more frequent and which business practices are increasing.
The number of requests for asylum is increasing
But a closer look at the statistics also shows that - although the number of smuggled and unauthorized entries has fallen since the border measures were introduced - the number of asylum applications has increased. According to data from the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, in October and November 2023 it was significantly above the level of the previous year 2022. At the same time, the number of asylum seekers did not decrease immediately when the measures began.
For 2024, however, that trend can be said to be declining – which German Interior Minister Nancy Feser attributes to border controls. It is entirely possible that other factors, such as increased deportations, also play a role.
"Smugglers are looking for other side routes to enter the country," says Andreas Roskopf of the police union (GdP). And then, when they are already in the country, they apply for asylum. In addition, the following should not be overlooked: "Any person who expresses a desire to obtain asylum during border controls must generally be allowed to enter the country in order to examine that claim," says Roskopf. This means stopping would-be asylum seekers at the border – but this is rarely possible.
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