Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann attributed this decline in part to reinforced border controls and measures to limit illegal immigration.
According to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, only 3,570 asylum seekers entered the state between January and March 2025. In the first quarter of 2024, the figure stood at 7,573. This marks a substantial year-on-year reduction in the influx of asylum seekers.
Minister Herrmann emphasized that the intensified border security efforts were proving effective. He specifically cited stricter controls at Bavaria’s borders as a key factor behind the falling numbers.
More Departures Than Arrivals Recorded
During the same three-month period, the number of people leaving Bavaria after their asylum applications were rejected exceeded the number of new arrivals. The Interior Ministry reported that 3,398 individuals voluntarily departed the country, while another 941 were deported. Most returns were to Turkey, Georgia, and Nigeria.
Herrmann noted: “With 347 deportations in March alone, we have reached the highest monthly figure since February 2016.” He stated that the objective now must be to enable deportations to Syria and Afghanistan at the federal level. According to him, individuals without the right to stay or those who had committed legal offenses should be returned to their countries of origin without delay.
Herrmann also expressed confidence that the current downward trend in asylum applications would continue. This expectation is tied to the ongoing coalition negotiations at the federal level. Alexander Dobrindt, a CSU politician from Upper Bavaria, is set to assume the role of Federal Minister of the Interior.
Stricter Rules Announced from May
The incoming Minister for the Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, announced new restrictions for asylum seekers. Speaking to the Funke Media Group, Frei stated that beginning May 6, the new federal government would expand border checks at Germany’s national frontiers.
Local Governments Still Under Pressure Despite Decline
Despite the falling number of asylum applications, municipalities across Bavaria continued to report strain. Many district administrators and mayors pointed out that housing remained in short supply, making it difficult to provide adequate accommodation for refugees.
In 2024, a total of 35,953 people applied for asylum in Bavaria for the first time—a 30 percent decrease compared to 2023, when 50,389 applications were filed. This decline reflects a broader national trend.
Diverging Explanations for the Decline
Acting Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the SPD cited increased federal police border controls and new deportation policies as key reasons for the early 2025 decrease. However, migration researchers pointed more to global political developments and changing conditions in asylum seekers’ countries of origin as the main causes.
Reporting with material from KNA and dpa.
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