Border enforcement expenses surpass 80 million euros - Peak excess in overtime pay - Customs and immigration border controls accrue expenses totaling over 80 million euros, largely due to excessive overtime work.
Germany has spent over €80 million on border controls between September 2024 and June 2025, with a significant portion allocated to overtime pay for police officers.
The operation, which began on September 16, 2024, was instituted to mitigate irregular migration and crime. The controls involve around 14,000 federal officers stationed nationwide.
The detailed expenses related to border controls during this period include:
- Overtime costs of around €37.9 million compensating police officers for extended hours at border checks.
- Approximately €24 million to €29.1 million quarterly in total operational costs for these checks.
- From April to June 2025, about €6 million was spent on "working at inconvenient times," which covers night and weekend shifts.
- Additionally, around €8 million was spent on hotels and food for officers involved at border stations.
- The operation of border stations themselves cost just under €2 million during that quarter.
Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of the Interior reported that it spent around €3 million on allowances for "unsuitable times" during the same period.
These expenses come as Clara Bünger, spokesperson for flight and refugee policy of the Left Party, criticizes the "illegal borders-closed policy" of the current government, arguing that it causes difficulties for asylum seekers, traffic chaos, burdens border commuters, and incurs enormous costs.
In a ruling in early June, the Berlin Administrative Court confirmed that the rejections of asylum seekers by Alexander Dobrindt, Faeser's successor from the CSU, violate EU law. This measure, which includes the increased rejection of asylum seekers, is to be extended.
By August 4, 493 asylum seekers had been rejected since May, according to Bünger's inquiry. A total of 9,506 people were rejected at the borders from May to the end of July, according to the Federal Police.
Clara Bünger demands an immediate end to border controls, calling for their discontinuation to alleviate the difficulties faced by asylum seekers and reduce costs. However, Dobrindt has announced the extension of controls again.
The court ruled in favor of three rejected refugees from Somalia, highlighting the legal challenges posed by the border control measures. The exact total government expenditure figure beyond these operational expenses and overtime payments was not provided in the sources, but the emphasis on overtime pay indicates a substantial share of the total spending directed toward personnel compensation.
- The European Commission could scrutinize Germany's employment policy, as the nation seems to be allocating a substantial portion of its resources towards border controls, particularly overtime pay for police officers, which might be considered an indirect expense related to law enforcement and industry.
- As the government continues to invest significantly in border controls, debate in politics might escalate, with parties like the Left Party criticizing the increased spending on border control measures, citing potential financial implications for the broader finance sector, as well as the hardships faced by employment seekers in the general-news space.
- In light of increased border controls and the subsequent rejections of asylum seekers, discussions around crime-and-justice issues may surface, as the court rulings and legal challenges underscore the human rights implications and potential violations of EU law.
