BERLIN (Reuters) – Asylum applications in Germany rose by almost half last year, official data showed on Monday, increasing pressure on the government to stick to its commitments to reduce asylum seekers. illegal immigration.
In 2023, Germany recorded 351,915 asylum applications, an increase of 51% compared to the previous year, indicates the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
“The asylum figures for 2023 show that we must systematically continue our approach to limiting illegal immigration,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.
In recent months, Nancy Faeser has announced temporary police checks at Germany’s borders, while working to reach migration agreements with partner countries to speed up expulsions.
Nancy Faeser recently welcomed a recent agreement to reform EU asylum policy, under which the applications of people with little chance of obtaining protection status will be processed at the EU’s external borders. ‘Union.
According to BAMF data, the largest number of asylum seekers came from Syria, with 104,561 requests, followed by Turkish citizens with 62,624 asylum requests and Afghan citizens with 53,582 requests. Added to this are 12,360 applicants from Iraq, 10,206 from Iran, 9,399 from Georgia as well as 9,028 applicants of Russian origin.
(Report Andreas Rinke, written by Nette Nöstlinger; French version Lina Golovnya)
©2024 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.