Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s Interior Minister, has announced that the federal government is working on a new law to speed up deportation procedures—a law that, according to him, is intended to keep deportation levels consistently high.
Dobrindt confirmed that after the deportation of Afghan and Syrian migrants convicted of crimes, the next phase will include single men who have no criminal record.
Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, Dobrindt, a member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, said: “We are preparing a law to make deportation procedures more efficient. To achieve this goal, we must minimize existing obstacles and take further measures.” He did not provide a specific timeline for when the new phase would begin.
According to Germany’s Interior Ministry, in the first quarter of this year, 27 Afghan nationals convicted of crimes such as drug trafficking, rape, murder, and kidnapping were returned to Kabul. Prior to that, two other convicted Afghans were deported in March from Hamburg via commercial flights with a stopover in Istanbul before being transferred to Afghanistan.
Dobrindt has previously repeatedly emphasized his firm stance on deporting convicted Afghan nationals.
The Interior Minister also stated that Germany’s migration policy over the past year has produced positive results, with illegal migration decreasing by around 70 percent compared to the previous year. He attributed this decline to a set of measures, including the rejection of 34,000 people at the border, the arrest of 1,400 smugglers, and the execution of 8,000 arrest warrants.
Dobrindt also referred to the European Union’s asylum system reform (GEAS), which is set to take effect on June 12. The reform aims to reduce the number of asylum seekers in the EU. He expressed hope that, with the implementation of this plan, the need for internal border controls within the European Union would decrease.
In contrast, the organization Pro Asyl, which advocates for refugee rights, has described Germany’s policies as disastrous. Its director general, Karl Kopp, said that the government’s focus on deterrence has not created order, but instead has increased pressure on human rights, made escape routes more dangerous, and strengthened far-right groups. He blamed the governing coalition for the consequences of these policies.