Overview
- Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Friday that Germany will extend internal Schengen border controls beyond September and did not specify when the checks will end.
- Spanish and regional authorities estimate roughly 60,000 people crossed into the Spanish exclave Ceuta in recent days, with the Spanish interior ministry saying about 25,000 have returned to Morocco and the BBC reporting at least 34 deaths during the crossings.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Spain to restore effective control of Ceuta and stressed that stronger protection of the EU's external borders is needed to limit illegal migration.
- The Bundespolizei remains legally responsible for German border controls and Baden-Württemberg offered short-term support from its state police to reinforce checks at land borders with France and Switzerland.
- The episode has hardened domestic politics, with some parties calling for rapid deportations or temporary suspension of Schengen and others warning that tougher controls will raise humanitarian risks and shift pressure onto EU external border management.