German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser expressed satisfaction with her government's handling of immigration amid changing migration dynamics.

At a press conference in Berlin, Faeser highlighted the administration's focus on bolstering labor migration, reducing irregular migration, and combatting human smuggling.

She noted that over 1.2 million refugees from Ukraine had been provided protection in Germany, with nearly one-third being children and adolescents.

Statistics indicate a shift in the patterns of migration to Germany.

While the number of individuals seeking protection increased in 2021, there was a notable decrease in asylum applications in 2024, with first-time applications dropping by 30.2% compared to the previous year.

Complementing this trend, the overall number of asylum requests has also declined.

Faeser credited the government's reforms, including the acceleration and digitalization of asylum procedures and the staffing of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

There has been a significant reduction in unauthorized entries into Germany, largely attributed to stricter border controls and a crackdown on human smuggling networks.

The closure of the refugee route from Serbia to Hungary in late 2023 was identified by Hans-Eckhard Sommer, the head of BAMF, as a primary factor in the decline.

Despite the success of these measures, concerns remain regarding the ongoing global migration pressure, particularly from conflict zones such as Sudan and the precarious situation in Gaza.

Since October 2023, Faeser ordered enhanced border controls, previously only applicable at Germany's border with Austria, to be extended to Switzerland, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Reports indicate that the German federal police recorded approximately 86,000 unauthorized entries during these controls, with around 50,000 individuals turned back.

However, there is uncertainty regarding how many subsequently entered Germany elsewhere or later filed asylum claims.

In light of these developments, Faeser reported that more than 2,000 human smugglers were apprehended by the federal police since the new controls were implemented.

Additionally, the number of detected smuggled individuals fell from 40,000 in 2023 to 10,000 in 2024. The police union has called for increased authorities, funding, and personnel to effectively combat smuggling networks.

Despite Faeser's claims of streamlined asylum procedures, the average processing time for asylum applications increased to 8.7 months, marking the longest wait period since 2017. This delay is partly due to the resolution of complex, backlog cases from previous years.

In 2024, a total of 229,751 initial asylum applications were filed in Germany, alongside 21,194 follow-up applications.

The substantial decline in first-time applications is largely connected to Serbia's action to block the typical route to Hungary.

Separately, Hans-Eckhard Sommer has advocated for a fundamental change in the asylum system, proposing the elimination of the individual right to asylum in favor of humanitarian admission programs.

This approach has drawn criticism from various political factions in Germany, with concerns about the implications for existing international agreements and the treatment of vulnerable migrants.