Faerer announces additional expulsions to Afghanistan
The federal administration is strengthening its stance on expulsions. Minister of Interior Faeser is contemplating arranging flights to Afghanistan shortly. Syria is also being considered. Moreover, they are almost finalizing an arrangement with Turkey to send back around 500 individuals every week.
Faeser, the Interior Minister, mentioned plans for additional expulsion flights, including to Afghanistan. During the parliamentary questioning, she stated, "We are organizing more flights, there will be further expulsions to Afghanistan soon." Additionally, discussions with Turkey's government are ongoing for expulsion flights, but no concrete decisions have been made yet.
Faeser highlighted that Germany successfully deported crooks and dangerous individuals to Afghanistan for the first time in August. Such operations need extensive preparation, but the government recognizes their importance for maintaining internal security. They are also exploring ways to arrange expulsions of criminals to Syria.
Regarding Turkey, Faeser explained, "We are working towards organizing the initial flights to Turkey." Discussions are ongoing with the Ankara government "with the purpose of reaching an agreement." She expressed confidence in reporting accomplishments in the near future. In late September, the federal government announced that Turkey agreed to facilitate expulsions in practice. This includes, for instance, rejected asylum seekers not needing to obtain travel documents from the German embassy in Berlin, but instead from a Turkish consulate.
According to reports, Turkey was willing to accept up to 500 individuals with Turkish citizenship who lacked the right to reside in Germany each week. Faeser praised this as a "significant advance." However, these statements were later refuted by the Turkish side.
Faeser confirmed discussions between Federal Chancellor Scholz and Turkish President Erdogan on this matter. Despite ongoing discussions, implementation is still under consideration. The federal government's goal remains to meet the mentioned target.
During the first nine months of this year, 23,133 Turkish citizens filed initial asylum applications in Germany. The overall protection rate for asylum applications from Turkey decided this year was 9.6 percent. Around 1,300 Turkish citizens were expelled from Germany in 2023. As of April 2024, approximately 14,500 Turks in Germany were subject to expulsion.
Faeser dismissed calls, mainly from the CDU/CSU, to reject asylum seekers directly at Germany's borders. This violates international law, she asserted. As Minister of Interior, she adheres to the rule of law, Faeser reiterated.
The German Bundestag, during a parliamentary session, questioned Minister Faeser about the expulsion plans. Faeser, in response, assured the Bundestag that discussions with Turkey's government are ongoing for expulsion flights.
