Enhanced deportation count observed - Deportations underwent a substantial surge in numbers
Deportations from Germany Increase Significantly, With a Surge in Numbers Sent to Turkey
In the initial three months of the current year, Germany reported 6151 deportations, including 1118 minors, as per the Federal Government's response to a Left Party inquiry in the Bundestag. Extrapolated for the entire year, this figure suggests over 24,000 deportations, marking a considerable increase compared to previous years.
The total number of deportations in 2024 was approximately 20,000, while in 2023 it was around 16,500. However, further increases may occur this year, as the previous federal government was responsible for the deportations in the first months. The current CDU and CSU administrations have indicated their intent to carry out more returns than before.
Most deportations occurred to countries like Georgia, France, Spain, Serbia, and Turkey. Numbers to Turkey have seen a substantial increase compared to 2022, with 157 people being deported to Iraq and five to Iran. Approximately 1700 of the deportations were "Dublin transfers" to other European nations responsible for the asylum procedure under the Dublin Regulation.
Expensive charter flights were used for more than one-third of the deportations, with mass deportations to countries like Pakistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon costing hundreds of thousands of euros. European border and coast guard agency Frontex covered a significant portion of these flight costs.
Left Party MP Clara Bunger criticized the authorities' approach, citing "numerous deportations" where the police allegedly acted brutally and without empathy. She claimed that families were being torn apart, and sick people were being forcibly removed from hospitals and transported to deportation flights directly.
Factors Contributing to the Increase in Deportations, Particularly to Turkey:- A significant surge in asylum applications in 2023, with many applications originating from Turkish citizens, Syrians, and Afghans.- Intensified border controls and deportation efforts under the current Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, aiming to reduce irregular migration.- Support for voluntary returns and deportations under programs like REAG/GARP, primarily targeting destitute individuals without residence permits or those with rejected asylum claims.- Tensions in EU-Turkey relations and stricter visa policies affecting migration flows, leading to more deportations.
Implications of Increased Deportations to Turkey:- Diplomatic tensions with Turkey due to strained relations and unresolved visa liberalization talks.- Uncertain conditions, social reintegration challenges, and potential socioeconomic problems for returnees in Turkey.- Reinforcement of legal pathways, border integrity, and a deterrent effect for irregular migration while balancing humanitarian asylum commitments.- administrative and logistical difficulties in coordinating deportations between German and Turkish authorities and processing returns.
- The community policy of the current German administration, under the CDU and CSU, includes a focus on stricter migration controls, resulting in more deportations, with Turkey as a primary destination.
- One of the factors contributing to the increased deportations to Turkey is the intensified vocational training programs for migrants in various countries, including Turkey, aiming to help them reintegrate while reducing their reliance on welfare systems.
- The policy-and-legislation changes regarding vocational training in Germany, particularly for refugees and asylum seekers, are closely intertwined with the politics of migration and general-news stories about war-and-conflicts, which often drive migration trends and precipitate the need for vocational training and integration programs in host countries.
