German border crackdown SUCCEEDS as illegal immigration plummets after break with Schengen rules

Federal polic data in Germany showed that there have been fewer than 300 unathorised entries per day since October 16.

The previous 30 day period, before the new checks were introduced, saw 700 arrivals per day.

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This came to a total of 18,492 illegal entries.

After October 16, there have been just 11,029, representing a 40 per cent drop.

There was a 56 per cent drop at the Polish border, which saw 2,795 entries, down from 6,411 in the 30 days before the new measures were introduced.

Such border checks within the EU are not part of the EU's Schengen borderless travel rules, meaning Germany was forced to introduce a directive, separate to the EU rules.

The directive was introduced by the German Interior Ministry last month.

Armin Schuster, Interior Minister for Saxony, said that the border controls "have exceeded our expectations, significantly so".

At the time of their introduction, Germany President Olaf Scholz said it was a "historic moment".

The European nation was struggling to cope with a more than 70 percent rise in asylum applications in 2023 alone.

This year, Germany is on course to take in the most asylum seekers since the height of the 2015 migrant crisis, which was sparked by an exodus from Syria in the wake of the civil war.

While Scholz denied that the firmer line on the issue came as a result of pressure caused by the rise of popularity of right-wing AfD, the growing support for the party is likely to be causing concern in his party.

The AfD The party made gains in two state elections in October, coming second in Hesse and third in Bavaria.

The results both represent historic gains for the party.

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Meanwhile, the three parties that make up Olaf Scholz' federal coalition government were hit with significant losses.

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) all saw their support fall.

The election, seen as a bellwether for national feeling, represents growing dissatisfaction with Scholz's leadership.