Germany extends border controls to curb irregular migration

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00:00Controls for those entering Germany, such as this one near Poland, now look set to become

00:06widespread across the country's 3,700-kilometre-long land border.

00:11After ramping up security measures on several of its frontiers last year amid a surge in

00:15first-time asylum requests, Germany has announced temporary internal checks at all of the country's

00:20land borders.

00:21These are the same measures that we are now taking with the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria

00:27and Switzerland.

00:28We will then do this with France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark.

00:34I have ordered this today and have already informed the EU.

00:37Starting next Monday, the controls will initially last for a period of six months.

00:42The decision comes after a deadly mass stabbing last month in the western city of Solingen,

00:47claimed by the Islamic State group.

00:49An attack which inflamed fierce debate over asylum rules when it transpired that the main

00:54suspect was a Syrian refugee facing deportation.

00:58The government has sought a response to the outrage.

01:00In the interior minister's view, stepping up border security will help prevent such

01:04incidents in the future.

01:07This will serve to further limit irregular migration and protect against the acute dangers

01:12posed by Islamist terror and serious crime.

01:15We are doing everything we can to better protect the people in our country against this.

01:20These controls also enable effective entry refusal.

01:24We have already had more than 30,000 entry refusals at Germany's external borders

01:28since last October.

01:31In the wake of the attack, the government also vowed to step up deportations of rejected

01:35asylum seekers as well as tougher knife laws.

01:39Monday's decision comes days after the far-right anti-immigration Alternative for Germany secured

01:44a historic election victory in the eastern state of Thuringia.

01:48And over in Brandenburg, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD party is doing all it can to retain control

01:53over the government ahead of an election in two weeks.

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