The number of people suspected of having migrated illegally to Germany rose significantly in 2023, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) reported on Wednesday.
According to the BKA, the police suspected 266,224 people of illegal entry and residence in 2023, an increase of 33.4% compared to the previous year.
Most of the suspects were arrested by the German Federal Police.
According to the BKA, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency registered a total of around 380,200 unauthorised border crossings at the external borders of the Schengen area with 29 visa-free countries, which also includes Germany.
That is the highest annual figure since 2016.
The main countries of origin of the suspects in Germany were Syria (54,207 persons), Turkey (35,732 persons) and Afghanistan (35,370 persons).
According to the BKA, many of them were helped to escape by smugglers and, for example, travelled part of the way to Germany in vans.
“The smuggling gangs took increasing risks and acted recklessly towards the smuggled persons, uninvolved third parties and deployed police units in order to avoid control and therefore prosecution,” the BKA said in a statement.
