Under 9,000 people requested asylum in Germany last month, down from 19,785 in October 2024, according to Bild
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The report noted that, although five other months this year recorded “significantly higher” number of applications, the downward trend was “clear.”
Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt praised the development by stating that the government’s stricter refugee policy was “working.” He said that Berlin has managed to reduce “the pull factors” and Germany’s “magnetic effect on illegal migration.”
The authorities intensified efforts to curb migration following a series of violent crimes involving asylum seekers, including a 2024 knife attack in Solingen, where a Syrian national fatally stabbed three people and injured eight others. In February, an Afghan citizen drove a car into a trade union rally in Munich, killing two people, including a two-year-old child, and injuring at least 39 more.
Last year, Germany expanded border controls with its EU neighbors, citing an increase in irregular migration. The measures were extended for an additional six months in January ahead of the snap federal elections.
Berlin has also intensified its deportation efforts. In September, Bild reported that the German authorities were working on a major deal with the Taliban to create a mechanism to deport Afghans back to their home country. On Saturday, Dobrindt announced plans to launch deportations to Syria for “dangerous criminals” and anyone whose applications had been rejected.