Data from the German Ministry of the Interior revealed on Saturday, August 19, 2023, that the deportations of asylum seekers whose applications were rejected have increased by more than a quarter in the first six months of 2023. The data showed that the German authorities deported about 7,861 people from the country between January and June, an increase of 27% compared to the same period last year.

The list of deportees included 1,664 women and 1,375 minors. This increase follows a decrease in the number of deportations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The disclosure of the data was requested by the German "Left Party" and was published in the local newspaper Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, which was reported by the German news agency Deutsche Welle on Sunday, August 20, 2023.

Germany continues to deport asylum seekers to their home countries

Statistics showed that most migrants were returned to their countries of origin, such as Georgia, North Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, and Serbia. Many of the deportees (2,473 people) were transferred to the border with Austria. The "Dublin Agreement," concerning EU rules for examining asylum applications, states that processing claims falls to the first country reached by the refugee or where they settle.

On the other hand, the number of people who voluntarily left Germany increased, as 4,892 individuals agreed to federal funding for their return to their home country, while 2,309 received funding from the government or German states. German law regulations require the deportation of individuals whose asylum applications have been rejected and whose visas or residence permits have expired.

Immigration authorities must carry out deportations if there is no reason to ease the measures taken, such as illness or other reasons for the temporary suspension of deportation. However, deportations often fail. The Ministry of the Interior recorded 520 failed deportation attempts in the first half of the year.

Obstacles to the deportation of asylum seekers from Germany

Among the prominent reasons for the failure of deportations are the resistance of asylum seekers to the deportation decision, the refusal of pilots or airlines to transport the deportees, and the refusal of federal police to arrest them.

Data at the end of June indicated that there were about 279,000 asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected, yet they still live in Germany. About 225,000 of them received a "tolerated residence permit," which allows for the postponement of deportation due to certain obstacles or if there are reasons that warrant continued presence in Germany, such as starting vocational training or necessary medical treatment.

Another report released this year revealed that thousands of deported migrants have managed to sneak back into the country.

Meanwhile, Clara Bohns, the spokesperson for immigration policies in the Left Party, criticized what was revealed by the German Ministry of the Interior's data. She told the EPD news agency: "Many asylum seekers are forced to return to areas where they face war, extreme poverty, and live under the threat of violence. Thus, their deportation is an act lacking a sense of responsibility."

In contrast, Nancy Faeser, the German Interior Minister, is seeking to tighten deportation rules and has presented proposals this month that would grant police more powers to enforce deportations.