Germany is increasingly deporting repeat offenders to Afghanistan and Syria, according to figures from the Federal Interior Ministry that the newspaper “Die Welt” reported.
Since Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) took office last May, 105 Afghan nationals have been returned to their home country-22 of those deportations have taken place this year alone. The day before Christmas Eve marked the first transfer of a Syrian criminal since the start of the civil war in 2011; three more followed. The government plans to raise the frequency of such flights, with regular charter services to Kabul and Damascus in the pipeline.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) confirmed the policy. “We are pushing the returns ahead” he told “Die Welt”. “We deport offenders and threats, including to Syria. Being the first European country to send offenders directly to Afghanistan by charter flight sends a clear message: there is no future for criminals in Germany, and they must seek prospects in their homeland”.
On 26 February, Germany achieved a direct transfer to Afghanistan without third‑party assistance for the first time: 20 Afghan men were flown from Leipzig to Kabul aboard a charter aircraft. They were pending deportation and had been convicted on charges such as sexual assault, bodily harm and drug offences. These flights are made possible by firm agreements with the Taliban regime and the interim Syrian government.
In addition to the direct deportations, the ministry reports “Dublin transfers”. Since May of last year, Germany has transferred 563 Afghanis and 356 Syrians to other EU states that, under the Dublin Agreement, are responsible for processing their asylum claims.
