The shipwreck off Italy's southern coast that claimed the lives of dozens of migrants over the weekend demonstrated the need for more legal options for immigration, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in Berlin on Monday.
She described the disaster as a "renewed terrible tragedy" and called for irregular migration to be curbed more effectively.
Speaking to dpa, Faeser said: "We will not become blunted in the face of this need, but continue to act despite considerable resistance, so that human rights are safeguarded and migration is guided much more than has been the case to date."
The German government had initiated a radical change in migration policy by facilitating legal migration, limiting irregular migration through agreements with countries of origin and by protecting the external borders of the European Union, she said.
Lawful procedures led by a reformed Frontex, the EU border protection agency, were required, she said. If migrants could enter the bloc legally according to clear criteria, the business model of the human traffickers would be disrupted.
Earlier, Germany's Federal Police reported that the number of unauthorized entries of foreigners into Germany had risen by 70.9% last month when compared to January 2021.
There were 7,587 cases of people entering Germany without the proper papers, they said.
This continues a trend seen in 2022 when just under 92,000 unauthorized entries were recorded compared to 57,600 in 2021 - an increase of nearly 60%.
German state and federal governments have been struggling with the influx of immigrants and have requested extra funds from the federal government to help with housing, schooling, daycare and other programmes. So far that money has not been forthcoming.
