In the first half of this year, the number of people being deported from Germany increased significantly. However, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, two out of three deportations fail in practice.
The number of deportations from Germany rose by more than a quarter in the first half of the year. From January to June 2023, 7,861 people were deported, almost 27 percent more than in the same period last year. This is reported by the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”, citing a response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to a request from the Left Party.
Most were returned to their home countries of Georgia, North Macedonia, Albania, Moldova and Serbia. According to the report, on June 30, 279,098 people who were required to leave the country were living in Germany. Of these, 224,768 had a Duldung. The number of people obliged to leave the country has fallen for the first time in many years.
Two out of three deportations fail
In practice, however, two out of three deportations fail. According to the ministry, 520 attempts at deportation by air had to be canceled at the last minute in the first half of the year because those affected resisted, the pilots or airlines refused or the federal police refused to take over.
The coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP had already announced a repatriation offensive in their coalition agreement in order to enforce departures more consistently. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser wants to tighten the rules for deportations.
Many go voluntarily
The number of people who left Germany voluntarily has also increased. 4,892 people left the country with federal funding, and 2,309 people with funding from the federal states and local authorities. In addition, according to the information, in the first six months of this year 2,186 people who had entered the country illegally were sent back directly at the border.
Left calls for “offensive for humanity”
The Left Party’s flight policy spokeswoman, Clara Bünger, criticized the increased numbers. People would be “forced back to places where they are threatened with war, extreme poverty and a lack of prospects. That is irresponsible.” Instead of a deportation offensive, she called for “an offensive for humanity and humaneness” from the federal government.
In recent years – mainly because of the corona pandemic – there have been significantly fewer deportations than in the years before 2019. In the whole of 2022, 12,945 people were deported from Germany.