Close to 1,600 people who had previously been turned back at the German border following intensified checks there have sought asylum in Germany, the government said, reported dpa. As of October 31 there were 1,582 asylum applications from people who had been refused entry since May 7 under the intensified internal border checks procedure, the government said. The information came in response to a parliamentary question by the Greens, seen by dpa. Data from the Central Register of Foreigners do not show where the asylum applications were lodged - or whether they cam in connection with a renewed attempt to enter near a border or after entering at another location in Germany. Border checks on entry have been in place again at all German land borders since September 16, 2024. Some checks had already been in place before then. The interior ministry ordered the expansion to curb unauthorized entries more effectively. The time-limited checks have been extended twice, most recently until mid March 2026. Border checks are not normally envisaged in the Schengen area of European countries, but Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt intensified the checks introduced under the previous centre-left coalition immediately after taking office last May. He instructed the police to also turn away asylum seekers, with exceptions for members of vulnerable groups, such as the sick or pregnant women. Between May 8 and October 31 a total of 201 people were identified as "vulnerable," according to provisional police figures. During that time, a total of 32,236 unauthorized entries were detected, the government said. Most were at the borders with France (more than 5,500), Poland and Austria as well as at airports. According to provisional figures, since the start of the intensified checks in May, the police turned back 993 asylum seekers. The government bases this practice on a section of the Asylum Act, under which entry may be refused if "there are indications that another state, on the basis of legal provisions of the European Community or an international treaty, is responsible for conducting the asylum procedure and a take-back or readmission procedure is initiated." Greens criticize intensified border checks The Greens' parliamentary group's domestic policy spokesman, Marcel Emmerich, said: "Instead of improving security in this country, the border blockades harm the economy, disrupt commuters and burden the border regions every day." He added that enormous costs and heavy burdens were being accepted for the "staging" at the borders, without any measurable security gain being apparent.