2024-09-04 10:04:40
Almost a year ago, Chancellor Scholz announced deportations “on a large scale”. After the Solingen terror attack, calls on the issue are becoming louder again. Now there are new figures.
The number of deportations continues to rise. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, almost 9,500 people were deported from Germany in the first half of 2024. This is shown by a response from the ministry to a request from the Left Party in the Bundestag, which the German Press Agency has received. In the comparable period in 2023, there were 7,861 deportations and in the whole year 16,430 deportations were carried out, in the previous year almost 13,000.
915 people with Turkish passports made up the largest group of people deported in the first half of the year. Those deported were from Georgia (839), North Macedonia (774), Afghanistan (675), Albania (586) and Syria (534). Deportations were mainly to Georgia, North Macedonia, Austria, Albania and Serbia. Germany is not currently deporting people to Syria and Afghanistan. Since the fatal knife attack on a police officer in Mannheim at the end of May, the federal government has been discussing this possibility.
According to the information, a large proportion of the 9,465 people deported in the first half of the year were flown out: 7,848 people. A third of all deportations (3,043 cases) were so-called transfers under the Dublin Regulation. This means that those affected were returned to the European country responsible for their asylum procedure because they arrived there first. In 164 Dublin cases, people were deported to Bulgaria, where the Solingen attacker was also to be transferred.
According to the information, as of June 30, 226,882 people in Germany were required to leave the country, of which 182,727 were with and 44,155 without so-called tolerated status. Those with tolerated status are required to leave the country, but cannot be deported for certain reasons, for example because they do not have identification documents or are ill.
In the first half of 2024, 14,067 deportations failed before being handed over to the Federal Police, for example because flights were canceled, people could not be found or were sick, or for other organizational reasons. 534 deportations were canceled during or after being taken over by the Federal Police. Reasons for this may be that airlines or pilots refuse to take those affected with them, “acts of resistance” are also mentioned, medical reasons or ongoing legal proceedings.
Left Party MP Clara Bünger said that there are repeated calls for more deportations, although the number has been rising steadily for years. “After the terrorist attack in Solingen, there are once again reflexive calls for more deportations. It must be said that deportations are not a crime prevention measure. They will not contain Islamism.” Solid crime prevention strategies and youth social work are needed.