Overview

• The administrative court of Berlin ruled Monday that Merz’s policy to turn back asylum seekers without applying the Dublin Regulation was illegal due to insufficient public safety justification.
• Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt insisted the ruling addressed an individual case and pledged to continue border refusals.
• The government has also suspended family reunification for refugees with subsidiary protection and eliminated a fast-track naturalization process.
• Neighbouring countries including Poland, Switzerland and France have registered formal complaints over strengthened border checks disrupting Schengen freedoms.
• Observers warn the executive’s defiance of the judiciary could deepen political polarization over migration and bolster support for the far-right AfD.