Will There Be More Deportations to Afghanistan in the Future?
The Federal Ministry of the Interior plans to significantly increase the number of deportations to Afghanistan. Several media outlets, including the Frankfurter Allgemeine, Die Zeit, and Tagesschau, are currently reporting on this.
A spokeswoman for the ministry confirmed over the weekend that there will be more special flights to Kabul in the future. Up to three flights per month are planned. In addition, it should be possible to deport individuals to Afghanistan at any time via regular scheduled flights.
The deportation flights have become possible following talks between representatives of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Taliban, which is currently in power in Afghanistan. According to the ministry, the talks took place at the “technical level.” This means they focused on practical issues related to the deportations. The German government still does not officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) told *Bild am Sonntag* that criminals will be deported to Afghanistan regularly and reliably in the future. Germany has a legitimate interest in ensuring that individuals who have committed serious crimes here leave the country. This will now be consistently implemented, Dobrindt said.
Who is affected by the deportations to Afghanistan?
As things stand, the announced deportations primarily concern Afghan nationals who have committed serious crimes in Germany. In addition, so-called “persons posing a threat” are to be deported. Persons posing a threat are defined as individuals whom security authorities believe could commit a serious politically motivated crime.
According to information from *Bild am Sonntag*, there are currently at least 100 Afghan criminals in custody or in detention pending deportation who could be eligible for deportation. Just a few days ago, 32 Afghan criminals were deported to Kabul on a charter flight. According to the federal government, these were also men who had been convicted of serious crimes.
Talks with the Taliban as the Basis for Deportations
Background: Deportations are generally only possible if the country of origin cooperates. This means that Germany can only deport a person if the country of origin agrees to readmit them. To this end, the relevant authorities must, among other things, confirm the person’s identity and nationality and issue the necessary travel documents.
This also applies to Afghanistan: Repatriations to Kabul are only possible if the local authorities cooperate with Germany. According to various media reports, the new plans are based on agreements between German representatives and the Afghan Taliban government.
The cooperation is politically controversial. According to an investigation by NDR, the Taliban are said to have demanded permission to send more diplomatic personnel to Germany in exchange for additional deportation flights.
The diplomats are to be assigned to Afghan embassies and consulates in Germany. There, among other things, they could help confirm the Afghan citizenship of individuals required to leave the country and issue travel documents.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed that talks had taken place with representatives of the Taliban government. However, the ministry has not yet commented on the exact details of the agreement or on the possible entry of additional diplomats.
As early as the beginning of June, the Taliban had canceled a scheduled deportation flight on short notice. According to media reports, they cited the fact that there were too few Afghan consular officials working in Germany as the reason. The flight was rescheduled later.
What does this mean for Afghan nationals in Germany?
As things stand, only Afghan nationals who have committed serious crimes are to be deported. So-called “security risks” are also expected to be affected. For the vast majority of people from Afghanistan living in Germany, therefore, nothing is likely to change for the time being.
Nor do the new agreements with the Taliban government mean that existing protection status will be lost. Anyone who has been granted asylum, refugee status, subsidiary protection, or a ban on deportation will therefore continue to enjoy that protection.
Anyone with valid protected status or Residence permit does not need to take any special action at this time. However, those affected should check how long their documents remain valid and submit renewal applications in a timely manner.
