Foreign nationals dominate list of individuals with active arrest warrants in Germany
German authorities report that the vast majority of people subject to open arrest warrants are non-German nationals, with Romanians, Poles, Georgians and Turks comprising the largest groups.
In response to a parliamentary inquiry, the Federal Ministry of the Interior revealed that most individuals with outstanding arrest warrants in Germany are foreign citizens, with a tiny fraction possessing only German nationality and an even smaller share holding dual citizenship. The largest foreign groups are Romanians, Poles, Georgians and Turks, each numbering in the thousands. Police union leader Heiko Teggatz attributes the difficulty of locating these suspects to chronic personnel shortages in state police forces, resulting in many apprehensions being incidental.
The Federal Police, however, actively screens for wanted persons at borders, airports and train stations, reporting thousands of captures since expanded border checks began in September 2024. Lawmakers are divided: some, like Sebastian Münzenmaier, demand rigorous border enforcement and deportation of criminal foreigners, while others, such as Marcel Emmerich, advocate for focused searches targeting violent, sexual and extremist offenders. Experts note that without data on the underlying crimes, the security implications remain unclear.
Why it matters
Understanding who is sought by police informs debates on immigration policy and law-enforcement resource allocation.
In this story
