NewsRescue
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg warned on Saturday that the EU must strengthen external border security and deportations or risk government collapse. Schallenberg urged Germany to “finally discuss measures against illegal migration.”
“One thing is clear,” Schallenberg told the German tabloid Bild. “Migration pressure will not ease in the coming years.” Migration is a problem that can bring governments down.”
According to figures from the European Union Agency for Asylum, more than 500,000 people applied for asylum in the EU in the first half of this year, a 28% increase from the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, the number of illegal immigrants caught entering the EU increased by 18% in the first eight months of the year to 232,350.
States with previously lax immigration policies have begun to toughen their stance in response to this rise. On Friday, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland agreed to work together to increase deportation flights. In Germany, where illegal immigration is expected to reach a record high this year, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced last month that his government would “finally deport on a large scale those who have no right to stay in Germany,” though a bill authorising this must be approved by parliament.
Scholz’ support has dwindled as migrants pour into Germany this year. Until June, his SPD party was the country’s second-largest political faction, but it was surpassed by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).
According to a poll cited by Reuters last month, 86% of Germans are concerned about migration, up from 67% the previous year. According to a September poll, two-thirds of Germans want refugee admissions to be limited, and 80% believe the government is not deporting enough migrants.
