Immigration authorizing: Family of Yesidi faces compulsory removal regardless of circumstances
In Brandenburg, a contentious issue has arisen regarding the deportation of a Yazidi family from Lychen. Despite the family having lived in Germany for several years, they were deported to Baghdad in 2025, despite a court ruling that later suspended their deportation.
The family had initially sought refuge in the Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq in 2014 to escape the genocide of the Yazidis by the so-called Islamic State. Their asylum application was classified as "unfounded" by the Administrative Court of Potsdam, but the original decision of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) to refuse the family asylum was changed from "obviously unfounded" to "unfounded".
However, the ruling became available only after the family had already arrived in Baghdad, making it difficult to reverse the deportation. The Brandenburg Refugee Council stated that the application was still pending while the plane was on the German runway. The Ministry of the Interior, on the other hand, stated that the ruling has to be respected.
Brandenburg's Interior Minister René Wilke had previously claimed that he wanted to push for the family’s return, but the chances of Brandenburg supporting this are poor, as the opposing party includes the Brandenburg Foreigners' Authority ZABH. Wilke's focus on increasing deportation numbers and his advocacy for automatisms in asylum cases have raised concerns from the refugee council, who call for a humanitarian policy that considers possible residence rights and individual roots.
The Yazidi community continues to suffer from the aftermath of ISIS atrocities, with ongoing security issues in their home regions. The return of Yazidis to Iraq poses numerous challenges, as their home regions remain devastated or lawless, with ongoing security issues including the presence of some ISIS fighters and supporters in rural or unstable areas. These conditions make return dangerous and uncertain, with insufficient protection or infrastructure for displaced Yazidis.
This case in Brandenburg is not an isolated incident. Germany has recently adopted a stricter migration policy, resulting in the deportation of some Yazidi families back to Iraq. Currently, an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Yazidis in Germany face deportation orders under these tightened policies. These measures reflect Germany’s broader pivot toward a hardline stance on migration, which includes increased deportation flights in response to political and social pressures.
Legal experts urge Yazidis facing deportation in Germany to seek counsel to keep their asylum cases open due to the ongoing risks in Iraq and the evolving legal landscape in Germany. Politicians from multiple parties in Germany have also called for reconsideration of deportations and humanitarian protection in recognition of the genocide and ongoing risks to Yazidis if returned. In 2023, the Bundestag recognized the IS crimes against the Yazidis as genocide.
As the situation unfolds, it is crucial to consider the safety and wellbeing of the Yazidi community, who have already suffered immense trauma and hardship. The ongoing challenges and uncertainties faced by Yazidis upon their return to Iraq underscore the need for a compassionate and thoughtful approach to migration policy.
On a broader scale, Germany's stricter policy-and-legislation regarding migration has led to war-and-conflicts-related issues, such as the deportation of Yazidi families, which highlights the need for a more humanitarian politics in general-news forums. Meanwhile, Yazidi families, like the one in Brandenburg, face numerous challenges upon their return to Iraq, making this topic a contentious issue in the realm of policy-and-legislation and politics.
