More than 11,000 underage migrants are currently seeking asylum in Germany, around 800 of them younger than 14. The overall number of asylum claims and irregular border crossings in Germany, meanwhile, is decreasing.
11,057 underage migrants are currently trying to obtain asylum in Germany. They are either in asylum or asylum appeal proceedings.
That's according to news agency KNA citing a response from the federal government to a request from the Left Party in Germany's Parliament, published on Monday (February 3).
The minors' asylum applications are being processed with priority, KNA reported, adding that 806 of the minors are younger than 14 years old.
For comparison: In 2023, 10,900 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum.
According to KNA, the members of parliament from the Left Party had inquired about the situation regarding family reunification for minors entitled to subsidiary protection.
The priority processing, KNA reported, is due to special protection for minors: While visa appointments are typically issued in chronological order based on registration date, the government stated that special appointments must be considered for minors, as they have the right to parental care.
The priority handling furthermore takes account of their special need for support in the asylum procedure, the government pointed out. According to the reply, the processing of asylum applications is carried out by specially trained decision-makers who are familiar with the legal and practical requirements of these cases.
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Decline in asylum claims, border crossings
Meanwhile, the number of unauthorized entries to Germany decreased in 2024, according to outgoing German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
Authorities last year registered 83,572 irregular border crossings, down from 127,549 in 2023, Faeser said on Tuesday (February 4) citing federal police figures.
The month of January saw 5,147 unauthorized entries, according to Faeser. 47,487 people were moreover rejected last year directly at the land, air and sea borders or in connection with an illegal border crossing.
Faeser also said that the number of asylum applications in January was 37 percent lower than in January 2024.
Faeser attributed the decrease to measures such as repatriations and border controls, which were extended at Germany's eight land borders last September.
with KNA