There's a daily game of cat and mouse to catch illegal migrants in Germany - and it may soon become UK's problem

Chief Inspector Igor Weber of the Pasewalk Federal Police leads a daily hunt along Germany’s 400 km Poland border, where a refrigerated van was seized carrying 18 illegal migrants. Police have also captured cars crammed with 9 East Africans and 16 Somalis, all transported without seats or roof protection. The smuggling route starts in Africa, the Middle East or Asia, passes through Russia, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland before entering northeastern Germany. In 2025 illegal entries fell 25 % from 2024, while deportations rose 15 %. Germany’s strict asylum rules cut first‑time applications in half this year, and 81 criminals were returned to Afghanistan in summer, with a Syrian sentenced in December. With the UK’s post‑Brexit asylum reforms, displaced Afghans and Syrians fear they might now turn to Britain as their last refuge.