Despite pledges made last year by the leftist coalition government in Germany to increase deportations, data reveals that the nation has only managed to remove fewer than three per cent of migrants with a removal order within the first four months of this year. In response to an increase in antisemitic incidents and Islamist attacks across Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed that his government would begin deportations on a “large scale.” However, according to Deutsche Well public broadcaster, only 6,300 foreigners were removed from Germany between January and April. This figure is significantly lower than the 240,000 individuals who faced a deportation order during that period, resulting in just 2.63 per cent of migrants being removed after receiving an order to leave.
Approximately 80 per cent of those with a deportation order could not be removed as they either did not possess identification papers or were from countries deemed unsafe by Germany, such as Syria and Afghanistan. In light of a recent stabbing incident involving a failed Afghan asylum seeker who evaded removal due to safety concerns in his home country, Chancellor Scholz has expressed his intent to end the prohibition on sending migrants back to these countries.
However, this would likely require negotiations with Islamist regimes currently in control of Syria and Afghanistan, making it uncertain when deportations may actually resume to these nations. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated at a conference in Potsdam that Germany has begun discussions with Afghanistan’s regional neighbours on the possibility of accepting Afghan nationals from Germany.
The centre-right opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, which was responsible for allowing mass migration into Europe under former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel, has called for the government to implement a scheme similar to the yet-to-be-implemented Rwanda model proposed by the British Conservative Party. This model involves removing migrants to a third-party country while their asylum claims are being processed in order to potentially discourage illegal migration into the country. CDU leader Friedrich Merz criticised Chancellor Scholz for failing to deliver on his promises, suggesting that he caved to pressure from his leftist government coalition partners.