Despite claims in online posts, the German government has announced plans to impose tighter controls on the country’s land borders rather than closing them.
“Germany will close its borders within the next six months to control illegal immigration,” Facebook posted on September 10 .
Although Germany has indeed increased security at its land borders, this does not mean that the borders have been completely closed.
German Interior Ministry 9 SeptemberAnnounced the “temporary re-imposition of border controls” at Germany’s nine land borders with Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands .
The new measures, effective from September 16 and valid for six months, include fixed and mobile border policing and the possibility of refusing entry, a ministry press statement said.
Germany’s land borders are generally part of a wider free movement area, the European Schengen Area .
Interior Secretary Nancy Feather said in a statement that strengthening border security is aimed at preventing irregular migration and protecting against Islamic extremism and international crime.
The move comes after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen on August 23 .The suspect is a refugee from there, raising concerns about immigration.
There was no mention of the closure of Germany’s borders in official government statements.
When contacted for comment, Askume referred the German Interior Ministry to a September 9 press release.
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Wrong. Germany has announced plans to impose tighter controls on its land borders rather than close them.
This article was written by the Askume fact-checking team. Learn more about our fact-checking efforts .
