German State ‘Has Lost Control’: Police Called to Asylum Shelters 40 Times Daily

Police in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) were dispatched to asylum shelters nearly forty times a day in early 2025, according to state data released in response to a parliamentary query from the AfD. The NRW government reported 6,797 call-outs to accommodation facilities from January through June 2025 and 15,825 deployments in 2024. Officials said the figures capture a broad set of situations, from routine assistance to alleged crimes.

The state’s reply drew on entries in the police database linked to accommodation for asylum seekers. According to the data cited in the answer, recorded offenses at or near these facilities include drug dealing, theft, extortion, counterfeiting, knife attacks, sexual assaults, weapons offenses, and homicides. At the same time, the government emphasized that these are deployment counts, not court outcomes; a single day can involve multiple calls, and many responses end with conflict mediation or welfare checks rather than arrests.

Political reactions and interpretation

AfD state legislator Markus Wagner claimed the state has “completely lost control” and called for deportations of criminal asylum seekers “wherever legally possible.” This is a political statement by the question’s requester, not an assessment adopted by the NRW government in its reply. The release itself did not classify the situation beyond confirming the scale and categories of recorded incidents.

The “almost forty times a day” figure comes from averaging 6,797 deployments over roughly 182 days in the first half of 2025.

National security context

The policing picture sits within a wider national security climate:

• In May 2025, federal prosecutors arrested five teenagers accused of forming a far-right terrorist organization allegedly planning attacks on asylum seekers and left-wing targets.
• German officials said politically motivated crime surged in 2024, with nearly half linked to far-right ideology, according to reporting by Courthouse News/AFP and France 24 in late May.
• Authorities warned about youth radicalization and announced stepped-up protection for refugee accommodations.

These incidents have prompted increased protection measures and attention to threats against shelters.

Federal border and asylum policy changes

On May 7, 2025, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that Federal Police were instructed to turn back most undocumented entrants at Germany’s borders, while exempting vulnerable groups such as pregnant people and children.

• Rights groups, including PRO ASYL, denounced the practice as unlawful “pushbacks” and signaled possible litigation.
• The directive, reported by ECRE and InfoMigrants, remains in effect as a ministerial order to Federal Police and has already led to more refusals at land borders.

The Interior Ministry states the goal is to reduce irregular crossings and bring “control, clarity, consistency” to entry procedures. Critics argue the approach risks denying people the chance to seek asylum, which is protected under EU law. Any court rulings will likely shape how officers apply exemptions and whether on-the-spot refusals are compatible with the right to lodge an application.

For official policy materials, readers can consult the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s English-language migration pages: https://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/topics/migration/migration-node.html.

Trends in asylum applications

Applications for protection appear to be falling. Media reporting cited in the NRW debate says Germany received about 70,011 asylum applications from January through July 2025, roughly half the total for the same period in 2024 (about 140,783).

• The reduction is widely linked to tighter border checks, third-country arrangements, and turn-backs at entry points since May.
• AfD representatives argue that other channels—resettlement, family reunification, and special admissions—still add up to larger inflows overall; that claim is contested in ongoing political debate.
• The application figures are a media synthesis rather than an official BAMF statistical bulletin. Observers advise checking the next BAMF release for precise month-by-month numbers.

Life inside NRW’s shelters and operational impacts

Inside asylum shelters, daily life reflects these tensions:

• Staff call local police when fights escalate, when outside agitators show up near the gates, or when a resident needs a welfare check.
• A “deployment” may mean officers separate two people and leave, or it can mean they open a criminal investigation.
• The counts track workload, not guilt. They also include incidents triggered by outside actors near the facilities, a growing concern given reported threats and attempts to intimidate residents.

Shelter managers and local actors recommend:

• Clear incident reporting protocols
• Language support for residents and staff
• Faster casework decisions to reduce friction that can spill into disputes

Police unions note frequent call-outs tie up patrol units—especially overnight—and call for more on-site staff and targeted prevention measures. Municipal leaders in parts of NRW say they need predictable federal and state funding to improve staffing, mental health support, and security upgrades (better lighting and controlled entry points for larger sites).

Civil society and rights perspectives

Civil society groups press for an approach that protects the right to seek asylum while addressing safety concerns.

• Human Rights Watch’s 2025 report on Germany cited rising far-right and racist violence and warned about shrinking civic space.
• In practice, authorities are pursuing two tracks: more protection for at-risk shelters and firm action against organized extremist groups, alongside fair procedures for people who ask for protection.
• Ministers say both tracks are underway, including raids against extremist cells and youth de-radicalization funding.
• Courts will likely be the arena where limits on border turn-backs and related practices are tested.

Political polarization and broader implications

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the NRW deployment figures will fuel a broader national argument over local capacity, border enforcement, and deportations of offenders after due process. Additional context includes:

• The domestic intelligence service (BfV) designated the national AfD as an extremist organization on May 2, 2025, allowing expanded surveillance—a move the AfD is contesting in court.
• That designation has intensified political polarization around migration and security, even as municipalities request practical help managing facilities day to day.

Key takeaway: The deployment numbers quantify police workload at shelters but do not equate to convictions. They sit at the intersection of local operational strain, national security concerns, and contested policy shifts at the border.

Policy and security implications for NRW

1. Short-term policing
   • Expect continued high call volumes while larger shelters remain at capacity.
   • Targeted patrols and faster conflict mediation may reduce repeat calls at specific sites.
2. Border effects
   • The May 7, 2025 directive may lower spontaneous arrivals inside Germany, though exemptions remain for vulnerable groups.
   • Legal challenges could alter procedures at checkpoints.
3. Protection of sites
   • After the May arrests of teenagers accused of planning attacks, authorities signaled more protection and surveillance around migrant accommodations.
   • Community outreach and quick reporting channels are key.

Data caveats and what to watch next

• The NRW data quantify workload, not convictions. A single incident can yield multiple deployments; at the same time, serious crimes are included and demand focused responses.
• Updated 2025 figures on politically motivated crimes could show whether far-right threats to asylum shelters are growing or receding.
• Courts may soon test whether border turn-backs comply with EU asylum rules at the frontier.
• The AfD’s legal challenge to the BfV designation could reshape the surveillance landscape in a year already marked by intense debate over migration, safety, and rights.