Germany's new Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, announced on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, that he has ordered border police to expel asylum seekers without papers. The order excludes vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women.
The aim of this measure is to reduce illegal immigration, according to Dobrindt. He overturned a 2015 directive issued during the migration crisis, when Germany took in over a million refugees mainly from Syria and Afghanistan.
The migration issue, which dominated the election campaign, is the first issue addressed by the new government. Since October 2023, over 53,000 people have been expelled from Germany's borders.