Germany recorded a dramatic drop in asylum applications last month, the steepest in years, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government pushes ahead with its hard line on migration, reported by Arab News.
According to figures released Tuesday by the Interior Ministry, 7,803 people filed for asylum for the first time in August, a nearly 60 percent decrease from the 18,427 applications in the same month last year. The numbers, first reported by Bild and later confirmed by officials, mark the continuation of a steady downward trend since Merz assumed office in May.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed the figures as proof that Berlin’s new course is working. “Our asylum policy change is working, our measures are successful,” he declared, adding that the next challenge lies in “tightening the common European asylum system to further reduce migration pressure on Europe.”
Merz has staked much of his political credibility on migration control. Since taking office, his government has reintroduced strict border checks, begun deporting criminals to Afghanistan, and tightened family reunification rules for certain groups of migrants. Plans are also underway to raise barriers to German citizenship, part of a broader push to signal tougher enforcement after years of rising migration inflows.
The August figures follow similar declines in earlier months of 2025. In July, Germany logged 8,293 asylum applications, down from 18,503 a year earlier. Altogether, 70,011 applications were filed in the first seven months of this year—roughly half the 140,783 recorded during the same period in 2024, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
The government argues that the measures restore control and fairness to a system long under strain, though critics warn of humanitarian costs and strained relations with European partners. For now, the numbers tell a clear story: Germany’s asylum door is narrowing swiftly under Merz’s watch.
