New laws slash asylum numbers
New laws which went into effect on July 1 have halved the number of asylum seekers entering Germany.
However, in an interview with the Bild newspaper, interior minister Manfred Kanther on September 7 urged German states to deport rejected refugees more quickly.
Statistics released the day before showed that applications for asylum had more than halved between June and August to 14,500.
"The figure is still far too high", Kanther said. "The efficient deportation of rejected asylum seekers is of great importance if the new asylum laws are to work."
Kanther said extra staff were rapidly clearing a backlog of asylum applications. Between January and August more than 250,000 people, the majority East Europeans, applied for asylum.
Only about 4% were granted asylum in the past. Most applicants were regarded as "economic refugees".
New arrivals can now be detained while their cases are heard. They are then quickly deported if their applications are rejected.
The new laws automatically disqualify refugees who enter through countries considered safe, including all of Germany's neighbours.