File photo of demonstrators in Germany protesting the deportation of around 50 Afghan refugees from Munich airport taken February 22, 2017. © Matthias Balk, AFP
Germany has resumed deportations of Afghan nationals, marking the first such action since the Taliban took power in August 2021. The deportation involved a group of 28 Afghans who were sent back to Kabul on Friday, as Berlin faces increasing pressure to tighten its migration policies.
According to a statement from government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, all of the individuals deported were convicted offenders with no legal right to remain in Germany. They were subject to deportation orders that had been issued previously. The group was flown to Kabul on a chartered Qatar Airways flight from Leipzig airport, departing just before 0500 GMT. This operation was the result of two months of secret negotiations facilitated by Qatar, acting as a mediator between the German government and the Taliban authorities.
Germany had stopped deporting individuals to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban took control in 2021. However, the recent decision to resume deportations is part of a broader effort by the German government to address public concerns about illegal migration and to take firmer action against individuals convicted of serious crimes. The move follows a series of high-profile incidents, including a deadly knife attack at a street festival in Solingen, allegedly committed by a Syrian man with ISIS links. This incident, among others, has intensified debates in Germany about deporting dangerous criminals, even those from countries considered unsafe, such as Afghanistan and Syria.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced that Germany would soon resume deportations to Syria and Afghanistan as part of new security and asylum policy measures. The announcement comes ahead of two significant regional elections in eastern Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is anticipated to make substantial gains amid growing discontent over immigration issues.