Due to a sharp drop in illegal border crossings, Austria is scaling back parts of its border infrastructure in Spielfeld (Styria) and Nickelsdorf (Burgenland). The Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday that the number of migrants apprehended has fallen significantly, allowing some tents used for border management to be dismantled.
At the Spielfeld border checkpoint, four tents are being removed, which will help reduce costs. However, key facilities — including container buildings and a holding tent — will remain in place for use during targeted police operations. This decision was made jointly by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) and Styrian Governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ).
The changes are being made possible by a major decline in migrant apprehensions and human smuggling cases. In June 2022, over 10,700 unauthorized migrants were stopped in Austria. In June 2025, that number dropped to just around 1,100.
Asylum applications have also decreased by more than a third. From January to June 2024, there were 13,634 applications; in the same period this year, only 8,637 were recorded. As a result, the need for federal accommodation has also gone down: from over 30 federal facilities in late 2022 to just eight today. In Styria alone, four federal housing centers have been closed.
In Nickelsdorf, Burgenland, authorities will also remove four tents as smuggling activities and illegal migration have dropped. However, container facilities and a large hall will remain available for police use. Smaller tents will be kept on hand in case of future need.
Interior Minister Karner attributed the drop in migration to stricter national border checks, support for Western Balkan countries, and tougher controls at the EU’s external borders — supported by Austria’s Schengen veto.
Governor Kunasek welcomed the dismantling, saying the remaining tents in Spielfeld had been an eyesore and a drain on taxpayers. He called them a “symbol of a failed 2015 migration policy” and said their removal sends a clear message to smugglers.
Deputy Governor Manuela Khom (ÖVP) added that removing unnecessary structures is also a relief to local residents, showing that migration pressure is easing.
