Overview

• Government data show the land border operation from mid-September 2024 through end-June 2025 incurred €80.5 million in extra costs, with €37.9 million attributed to officer overtime.
• Up to 14,000 Bundespolizei officers have been deployed to land borders, prompting the police union to warn of operational gaps at airports, train stations and major events.
• In Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland, controls recorded about 4,100 illegal crossings through July, led to 1,364 returns to France and resulted in 144 suspected smugglers arrested and 480 detentions on outstanding warrants.
• At the German-Dutch frontier in Lower Saxony, authorities logged 1,516 unauthorized entry attempts and returned 975 individuals between September 2024 and July 2025 under intensified checks.
• Alexander Dobrindt’s push to prolong the measures past September 2025 has drawn criticism from regional leaders and neighbours and faces ongoing legal challenges after a Berlin court ruled some rejections unlawful.