Temporary checks in place at all German borders for the Euro 2024 tournament have already prevented some 900 unauthorized entries into the country within a week, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.
Fraser told the Bild am Sonntag tabloid that 173 arrest warrants had also been executed over that period. The Sunday paper reported that 1,400 unauthorized entries were detected during checks between June 7-13 and some 900 people were prevented from entering the country.
"This demonstrates that our measures are effective. We want to recognize and stop violent offenders, in particular, as early as possible," Faeser told the paper.
During the European football championship which kicked off on Friday, 22,000 German federal police officers are being deployed daily to ensure security. According to Faeser, this is "the largest deployment in the history of the federal police."
"They will protect our borders, airports and railway traffic," she said.
Temporary checks will be in place at all borders until July 19.
The final of Euro 2024 is set to take place on July 14 in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.