German authorities stepped up border checks, arresting hundreds of people smugglers, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. The operation has stopped nearly 18,000 migrants entering the country, she added.

It's not only in the US and UK that border protection is on the ballot. The European Parliament's vote on a migration pact was always going to be a nail-biter, especially two months out from EU elections. We ask about the close result and about burden sharing, this as the numbers of those crossing the Mediterranean hit their highest level since 2015.

Migration, identity and borders are always big issues in European politics, but perhaps never more so than in European elections. A cornerstone of the current five-year political programme has been the EU's pact on asylum and migration.

Migration is at the center of the current political debate in Germany. In Goslar, a small town in Lower Saxony, integration has worked well so far. But as far-right narratives gain traction, the nationwide debate is intensifying. And it has also left its mark in Goslar.

Few topics were as influential in shaping social discourse last year as migration. It was also a perennial political issue within the EU, and things will likely be no different in the new year.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is among the top US officials set to visit Mexico as intense negotiations over immigration policy continue on Capitol Hill.

With US officials recording almost 10,000 border crossings from Mexico every day, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has pledged to do more to curb migration.

The number of migrants from Tunisia to Europe doubled this year, as did the number of intercepts. What impact is the so-called EU migration deal having, and how might it affect President Saied's chances of reelection?

Deportation as a deterrent? Rising refugee numbers have put the German government under pressure. Now it plans to step up deportations of rejected asylum seekers.

In view of the large number of asylum seekers coming to Germany and the pressure authorities face caring for them, positions on migration policy are changing. Denmark's tough approach is seen as model — at first glance.

In 2021, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko began letting migrants cross his country's border into Poland to retaliate against EU sanctions. Poland strengthened its border controls, but the number of illegal migrant crossings into Germany has been surging in recent months. The Brandenburg region in eastern Germany now finds itself at the crossroads between the Belarus and Balkans migrant routes.

Cooperation between Tunisia and the EU to limit irregular migration is proving difficult. Both parties have something to win and much to lose.