We provide an overview of which federal states are currently not deporting people to Iran, why a nationwide deportation ban is being called for, what politicians and the federal government are saying—and what a deportation ban means in legal terms.
Why is there a call for a halt to deportations to Iran?
The current debate has been triggered by the ongoing unrest in Iran. Since the end of December 2025, people across the country have been protesting against the mullah regime. Among other things, the demonstrations are directed against the economic situation, high inflation, and political oppression.
Security forces, Revolutionary Guards, and militias loyal to the regime are cracking down hard on protesters. Human rights organizations and international media have been reporting for weeks on arbitrary arrests, severe abuse, and impending executions.
Many politicians, churches, and NGOs are therefore warning against deporting people to Iran under these circumstances. They see a concrete danger to the life, limb, and freedom of returnees.
Which federal states have imposed a ban on deportations?
Several federal states have now temporarily suspended deportations to Iran. These include North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saarland.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the deportation ban will be in effect from mid-January 2026 to mid-April 2026. Rhineland-Palatinate and Brandenburg are also suspending deportations for a period of three months.
However, several state governments emphasize that the deportation ban does not apply to all individuals. Exceptions include dangerous individuals, convicted criminals, and individuals who are subject to special deportation orders.
Federal states with a ban on deportations to Iran
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- Schleswig-Holstein
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Brandenburg
- Saarland
According to Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU), Hesse has had a decree in place for some time now suspending deportations to Iran. Here too, criminals and dangerous individuals are exempt.
Several media outlets are also reporting that Lower Saxony is currently suspending deportations to Iran. However, we have been unable to find official confirmation of this from the Ministry of the Interior.
Thuringia has no official ban on deportations, but advocates a uniform solution throughout Germany.
Federal states without a ban on deportations to Iran
There is currently no official ban on deportations to Iran in the following federal states.
- Berlin
- Bavaria
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
- Baden-Württemberg
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Saxony
What are political parties, associations, and initiatives calling for?
Calls for a nationwide halt to deportations are growing louder. A week ago, Adis Ahmetovic, the SPD's foreign policy spokesman in the Bundestag, spoke out in favor of a nationwide halt to deportations on the news channel ntv. He also called for humanitarian visas for particularly vulnerable individuals and for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to be classified as a terrorist organization.
Alliance 90/The Greens and The Left Party are also calling for an immediate nationwide halt to deportations and greater protection for politically persecuted individuals, journalists, and human rights defenders.
Church organizations such as Diakonie are also issuing urgent warnings against deportations and demanding that people seeking protection from Iran not be turned away. Human rights organizations view deportations in this situation as sending the wrong political signal in light of the massive repression.
Nationwide deportation ban: What does the federal government say?
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) has so far rejected a nationwide halt to deportations to Iran. His reasoning: a general halt would also prevent the deportation of criminals.
Speaking before the Bundestag last week, Dobrindt said that Germany had "a great interest" in deporting criminals. He explained: "That is why I am not prepared to impose a ban on deportations, which would allow criminals to get away with it."
At the same time, however, Dobrindt emphasized that deportations to Iran were only possible in accordance with the situation on the ground. For this reason, there had been hardly any deportations in the past. Even now, deportations to Iran did not play a "significant role."
How many deportations to Iran have there been recently?
Deportations to Iran have been the exception for years. Although the number has risen slightly recently, overall repatriations remain at a low level.
By the end of November 2025, 17 people from Germany had been deported to Iran. By comparison, there were 14 deportations in 2024 and only 7 in 2023.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior also points out that repatriations to Iran have been difficult to date and only possible under strict conditions. Deportations often fail due to a lack of cooperation from the Iranian authorities or humanitarian and legal obstacles.
What is a deportation ban—and who can impose it?
A deportation ban is a temporary suspension of deportations to a specific country. The legal basis for this is Section 60a (1) of the Residence Act. According to this, the highest authorities of a federal state can initially suspend deportations for up to three months.
A deportation ban is usually imposed when there is an acute crisis situation in the country of origin, such as war, serious human rights violations, or natural disasters. The interior ministries of the individual federal states are generally responsible for imposing such bans.
If a deportation ban is to last longer than six months, the approval of the Federal Ministry of the Interior is required. Without this approval, a deportation ban cannot be extended beyond this period.
That is why many states and political parties are calling for uniform federal regulations. This would allow deportation bans to be regulated not only on a temporary and state-by-state basis, but uniformly at the federal level.
