A court ruling that Germany could not simply return to Poland three asylum seekers who entered the country in May dealt a blow to the signature migration policy of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's new government: turning illegal migrants back at the borders.

A Berlin court ruled that Germany’s controversial move to refuse entry to some asylum seekers is unlawful in a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s tougher stance on migration.

Ruling could undermine central part of Friedrich Merz’s plan to cut immigration but government says it will stay the course