1 of 1
Story summary
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed his government cut asylum applications by over 60% in just over a year.
- Fact check shows 56,547 asylum applications were filed in Germany in the first half of 2026.
- First-time applications fell 35.4% versus the same period in 2025, not the 60% Merz cited.
- The asylum decline began before Merz took office, after Bashar Assad’s fall in December 2024.
