Overview

• On a visit to Alsace, Baden-Württemberg Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann called the checks “no permanent state” and urged a return to open crossings.
• Local grievances on the French side have mounted, with Kehl and Strasbourg lodging complaints and Germany’s Europe state secretary Florian Haßler flagging concerns to the federal Interior Ministry.
• Interior Ministry figures show 20,160 unauthorized entries detected and 14,660 turnbacks since the May escalation through September 22, including 783 people refused despite having applied for asylum.
• A Berlin Administrative Court ruled the border-return procedure unlawful in a case brought by three Somali plaintiffs, yet the practice continues in day-to-day operations.
• Police-union officials and migration experts question effectiveness and sustainability, citing more than €80 million in costs, 2.7 million overtime hours at the Federal Police, and growing calls, including from Poland commissioner Knut Abraham, to end permanent stationary checks as Berlin looks to EU asylum reforms next year.