Migration - More deportations from Hamburg
From Hamburg, there have been significantly more people subjected to deportation orders in the first half of this year. According to the Interior Ministry, 841 such individuals were returned in the first half of this year. In the first half of 2023, it was 645 – an increase of 30%.
Last year, Hamburg reached the highest number of deportations since the refugee crisis in 2015/2016, with a total of approximately 1,500. This was previously reported by the "Hamburger Abendblatt".
The ministry referred to ease-of-deportation measures from the so-called "Return Improvement Law" passed by the Bundestag in January. "We can now see the effects of that for Hamburg as well," they said. The number of people subjected to deportation orders also decreased by nearly 20%: from 10,977 in May of the previous year to 8,843 in the current year.
103 convicted criminals deported
A high priority has been placed on deporting criminals, as it is not just about enforcing deportation orders but also about protecting public safety, said Senator for the Interior Andy Grote (SPD). "Anyone who becomes a threat to safety in the country that grants them protection must have their stay in Germany come to an end."
In the first half of the year, 103 convicted criminals from Hamburg were deported, 13 more than in the previous fiscal year. According to the ministry, they were convicted of offenses such as organized fraud, sexual offenses, grievous bodily harm, and/or robbery.
Grote plans to deport criminals to Syria and Afghanistan
Once again, Grote expressed support for deporting criminals to so-called "unsafe countries of origin." "I am glad that our application to deport criminals and threats to safety to Afghanistan and Syria has received broad support, and that the Federal Interior Ministry has begun preparing the concrete implementation of deportations to Afghanistan," he said.
- Despite the increase in deportation orders in Hamburg this year, the number of refugees from Syria and Afghanistan facing deportation remains a significant concern in the ongoing refugee crisis, as highlighted by the Federal Parliament's discussions.
- The 'Hamburger Abendblatt' reported that Andy Grote, the Senator for the Interior in Hamburg, is advocating for the deportation of convicted criminals to countries like Syria and Afghanistan, despite their status as refugees.
- The recent rise in deportation orders in Hamburg has sparked conversations about migration policies and the treatment of refugees, particularly those originating from Syria and Afghanistan, in German media outlets such as the 'Hamburger Evening Paper'.
- The Interior Ministry attributed the surge in deportations in the first half of 2023 to the 'Return Improvement Law' passed by the Federal Parliament, which aims to facilitate the process of deporting individuals subjected to orders, including refugees from Syria and Afghanistan.
- The deportation of 103 convicted criminals from Hamburg to countries like Syria and Afghanistan in the first half of the year has heightened tensions between humanitarian advocates and supporters of stricter migration policies, with Grote maintaining that public safety should take priority over individual cases.
