Over Five Thousand Refugees Deported from Germany

In the first three months of the current year, 5,600 refugees were deported from Germany. Most of these individuals were returned to Albania, Italy, and Georgia.

On Sunday, May 12, the “Funke Media Group” reported that Germany’s Interior Ministry deported 5,600 refugees from the beginning of the current year through the end of March.

The number of deportations decreased by approximately 12 percent compared to the same period last year.

According to this report, which was compiled in response to the German government’s answer to the left-wing party in the country’s parliament, most deportations were to Italy, Albania, and Georgia. Five hundred were returned to North African countries (Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco), and a smaller number were sent back to Poland and Spain.

Thus, the deportation of refugees covered under the “Dublin Regulations” continues. Under the “Dublin Agreement,” a country is responsible for processing an asylum application of a refugee who entered the European Union from that country.

In this way, Germany can return refugees who entered Germany through Italy or other EU member states to those countries.

Criticism of Refugee Deportations

Currently, 250,000 refugees live in Germany whose asylum applications have been rejected and who must be deported according to law. However, it is not possible to return them to their countries because they lack the required identification documents.

Deporting refugees based on the “Dublin Agreement” has always been criticized by human rights organizations and refugee rights advocates.

Aula Belpke, a domestic spokesperson for the “Left Party,” criticized the deportations in the first three months of the current year, saying that returning refugees to Italy in particular is “wrong.”

He said: “The asylum application processing system in Italy has many shortcomings, and many refugees in this country are homeless and do not even have access to medication or food.”

In the previous year, a total of 24,000 refugees were deported from Germany.

Statistics on Iranian Applicants

In 2018, approximately 11,400 Iranian citizens filed asylum applications in Germany. According to statistics released by the office handling refugee and migrant affairs, only 2,619 of them received positive responses.

The asylum applications of more than 5,000 Iranians were rejected, and others either left Germany before their applications were processed or withdrew their asylum claims.

Source: DW