Germany: 1,600 asylum requests by people rejected at border

Berlin: Some 1,600 people who had been denied entry into Germany at the border have later sought asylum in the country, German authorities have said.

The number of asylum applications from people who had been refused entry since the intensification of the country's border checks earlier this year reached 1,582 between May 7 and October 31, the German DPA news agency reported, citing a response to a parliamentary inquiry by the Greens.

The government did not say where the asylum seekers applied from.

This comes as Germany's conservative-led government looks to curb immigration, as promised in its campaign ahead of the 2025 election.

Border checks are normally not conducted within the Schengen area, a border-free zone including most European Union countries as well as a few countries not in the bloc.

But since coming to power in May, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has intensified already placed border checks, and ordered authorities to turn away all asylum seekers except some vulnerable groups.