The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Germany has identified 488 Afghan nationals as eligible for deportation to Afghanistan, including 267 who have no criminal convictions, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry.
The figures were disclosed in a written response to a
parliamentary inquiry by Left Party lawmaker Clara Bünger and cited by German
media on Saturday. They cover cases submitted by Germany’s federal states to
the Federal Police between July 17 and Sept. 27.
All federal states except Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
submitted cases involving Afghan nationals during the reporting period, the
ministry said.
Seven Afghan nationals are currently being held in
deportation detention at the request of the Federal Police, while another
remains in custody pending a refusal of entry, according to the ministry.
The figures come as Germany expands its policy of deporting
Afghans following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Interior Minister
Alexander Dobrindt has said deportations should not be limited to people
convicted of crimes or considered security threats.
Germany carried out its first deportation of an Afghan
national without a criminal conviction since the Taliban takeover in 2021 in
July, according to Reuters. Deportation flights to Afghanistan had been
suspended after the Taliban seized power because of concerns over the country’s
security and humanitarian conditions.
Flights resumed in 2024, initially focusing on Afghans
convicted of serious crimes. The government has since expanded preparations for
deporting some rejected asylum seekers who have no criminal convictions.
The policy has drawn criticism from opposition politicians
and refugee advocacy groups.
Bünger said Germany was preparing to deport people who had
committed no crime to a country ruled by the Taliban. She cited violence,
poverty and human rights abuses as reasons Afghanistan remained unsafe.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have
repeatedly raised concerns about forced returns to Afghanistan, pointing to
restrictions on women and girls, arbitrary detention, persecution of
journalists and activists, and the country's continuing humanitarian crisis.
Germany's Federal Constitutional Court has also ruled in
favor of Afghan applicants in some humanitarian admission cases, adding to the
legal scrutiny surrounding the country's policies toward Afghan nationals.
The Interior Ministry says Germany has deported about 250
Afghan nationals since the current coalition government took office.
The deportation policy has become a contentious issue in
Germany as the government seeks to tighten migration controls while facing
scrutiny over its obligations under international and European refugee and
human rights law.
