Germany plans deportations of Afghans without criminal records for the first time in years

For the first time in years, the German government is preparing to deport Afghan nationals, who have no criminal records and are not considered security threats, back to Afghanistan, according to a report by German newspaper taz.

A survey by taz among refugee councils in all 16 German states found that at least five Afghans who are neither convicted criminals nor considered a danger to public safety are currently being held in deportation detention. The responsible state interior ministries have not released official figures on the number of such cases.

Germany halted deportations to Afghanistan for several years after the Islamic Emirate returned to power in 2021. Germany’s policy changed in autumn 2024, when the previous coalition government of the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) carried out the first deportations to Afghanistan since the IEA takeover. At that time, only convicted criminals and individuals considered security risks were targeted.

The current government had already signaled in its coalition agreement that it intended to expand deportations to include Afghans without criminal backgrounds. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union (CSU) has also negotiated arrangements aimed at facilitating deportations to Afghanistan, while allowing more IEA representatives to enter Germany for related procedures.

According to refugee councils, four of the five Afghans currently facing deportation are being held in Bavaria, while another is detained in Hesse. A sixth Afghan man was briefly held in deportation detention in Lower Saxony but was released on Tuesday after the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) reportedly issued an incorrect notice.

The cases appear to share a similar pattern. According to taz, the individuals came to the attention of the Federal Police after leaving Germany temporarily. Two of them were reportedly returned to Germany under the European Union’s Dublin rules, while others were detained while attempting to re-enter the country.

Such situations do not automatically lead to deportation, but refugee organizations say there are indications that the treatment of Afghan nationals by German authorities has changed in recent weeks. The Federal Ministry of the Interior has denied that there has been any change in policy.

The German Interior Ministry has provided some new figures on deportations to Afghanistan. According to government data, 10 Afghans have been deported this year through individual operations, separate from larger charter flights.

In addition, 77 Afghans have been deported through charter flights so far this year. The latest charter flight in mid-June involved 92 federal police officers and cost more than €350,000.