Half of Rejected Asylum Seekers Disappear in Germany
German police say that only half of asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected actually leave the country. Police propose detention centers for individuals required to return. However, the labor minister objects to denying opportunities to young and skilled asylum seekers.
Asylum seekers whose applications are rejected in Germany do not necessarily return to their home countries after receiving deportation notices, and a significant portion of them no longer contact any administrative or official centers. The newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” reported on Sunday, July 15, citing German federal police, that approximately half of those who should leave Germany disappear.
By the end of May 2018, the number of applicants who received deportation orders was 23,900 people, but only 11,100 of them actually left Germany. The whereabouts of the remaining 12,600 people are unknown.
“Welt am Sonntag” reports that approximately 1,300 people were also not deported for various reasons. For example, in 150 cases, airplane pilots refused to transport deportees to their destinations. In more than 500 cases, the deportees themselves resisted and refused to board the aircraft. This represents a 200 percent increase compared to 2017.
German federal police say that the asylum seekers most resistant to returning to their countries are from Nigeria and Guinea. Followed by Somalis and Syrians. Then asylum seekers from Sierra Leone, Gambia, Morocco, Iraq, and Eritrea.
“Welt am Sonntag” reports that compared to 2017, the number of successful deportations has decreased. That is, although the number of rejected asylum seekers in 2018 increased by 17 percent, the return of individuals to their countries of origin shows a 4 percent decline.
Ernst Walter, secretary of the German Federal Police Union, told “Welt am Sonntag” that the disappearance of this number of deportees places a heavy burden on police: “Only by strengthening special centers for deported individuals can we prevent them from disappearing.”
Labor Minister’s Support for Asylum Seekers
Meanwhile, Hubertus Heil, Germany’s labor minister, criticized state officials in an interview, questioning why more asylum seekers are being deported from among those already integrated into society. He told the publication “Augsburger Allgemeine”: “Sometimes I feel that people are being forced to leave Germany who shouldn’t be.”
This Social Democratic politician warned of the negative consequences of deporting trained asylum seekers, describing it as harmful to society and to companies that have invested in or employed these individuals.
Heil pointed to regulations that allowed young asylum seekers to stay in Germany for two additional years upon completion of training courses. He said that these regulations have not been implemented uniformly across different German states and are paid particularly little attention in Bavaria (a state governed by the Christian Social Union).
Germany’s labor minister acknowledged that the integration of asylum seekers into the labor market remains low. He notes that although 220,000 asylum seekers are employed and do not rely on social services funds, this number is still insufficient. According to Hubertus Heil, if conditions are created to guarantee a more secure residential status for asylum seekers, their chances of entering the labor market would also increase.
