German police apprehended 1,159 people attempting to enter the country without documentation in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland in November.
Of these, 726 were from France, 370 from Luxembourg, and 63 from Belgium, according to the Koblenz federal police as reported by the German news agency DPA.
17 smugglers were also arrested, based on these provisional figures.
Germany has been conducting border checks with Poland, Czechia, Austria and Switzerland for some time. In September, these checks were extended to include borders with Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
Within the Schengen area, individuals can move freely and border controls are generally abolished. However, Schengen countries can reintroduce border controls for a limited time for specific reasons.
These controls typically last six months but can be extended.
