In a written reply released on 14 September (hib 707/2026), the German government provided the Bundestag with the first comprehensive statistics on the impact of internal border controls in Baden-Württemberg. Between 7 May 2025 and 30 June 2026, Federal Police units stationed along the state’s borders with France and Switzerland recorded 16,713 unauthorised entries, 13,447 refusals of entry and 406 deportations. Green MPs had asked for the figures to assess whether the costly controls are proportional. The data show that 162 migrants who requested asylum at the border were nonetheless turned back under §18 (2) of the Asylum Act—raising questions about access to procedure. Two of those turn-backs were later cancelled after legal review. For companies operating in the Upper Rhine industrial zone, the numbers underline that freight and commuter flows face persistent scrutiny. Although most business travellers experience only brief stops, occasional intensive inspections can snarl traffic at key crossings such as the A5 motorway bridge near Basel. The Interior Ministry has earmarked an extra €48 million for Baden-Württemberg border policing in the 2027 federal budget draft, including new mobile fingerprint scanners and licence-plate cameras. Employers should therefore expect the regime to remain in place well into next year. Mobility managers are advised to audit staff travel routes and confirm that non-EU employees carry both passports and electronic residence titles when driving across the frontier, even for day trips.
