Luxembourg is not always informed by German authorities if a person is turned away at a border crossing and sent back to the Grand Duchy, the home affairs ministry has said.
Last week, German authorities said that more than 1,100 people had been returned to Luxembourg since border checks were reimposed in 2024.
However, there are no statistics held by Luxembourg authorities on the number of refused entries, a spokesperson for the home affairs ministry said on Tuesday.
“Sometimes, the Luxembourg authorities are informed of border crossings, but we do not take action on this. Therefore, no statistics are kept on this activity,” the spokesperson told the Luxembourg Times.
In cases where information is provided, the home affairs ministry said that police “check their system for any existing records (individuals wanted for arrest in Luxembourg or internationally).”
“If such records exist, the person is handled according to established procedures,” the spokesperson added.
In a bid to tackle illegal migration, Germany has imposed border controls on entry at all crossings since 16 September 2024. The checks have since been extended twice, most recently until mid-March 2026.
Luxembourg lodged another complaint with the European Commission against the extension of the border checks in August, following an initial objection lodged in mid-February.
Last week, after the EU adopted a stricter asylum policy to strengthen the bloc’s external borders, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz floated the prospect of ending the checks.
During an EU meeting at the start of December, Home Affairs Minister Léon Gloden had emphasised that the “position of the Luxembourg government regarding border controls remains unchanged: Luxembourg opposes controls at the internal borders of the Schengen area and calls for strengthened controls at the EU’s external borders”, the ministry spokesperson said.
“The ministry took note of recent statements by Germany indicating that border controls may soon come to an end. Thanks to ongoing exchanges between Luxembourg and Germany, border controls have already become more flexible; for example, traffic jams on the Schengen motorway have eased,” the spokesperson added.
It comes as Luxembourg police handed over a suspected burglar to German authorities in Trier, according to a statement released by the German Federal Police on Tuesday, the Luxemburger Wort reported.
The 23-year-old, who German police say is a member of a Europe-wide burglary gang, was handed over at the Wasserbillig border crossing on Monday.
The 23-year-old man detained on Monday, a 19-year-old who has already been extradited, and two as-yet-unknown accomplices are suspected of causing more than €30,000 in damage through their burglaries, according to police.
(With additional reporting by the Luxemburger Wort.)