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The decline was partly due to travel regulations due to the coronavirus pandemic, with officials citing the lack of flights and the refusal of some countries to take back their citizens.
Deportations of rejected asylum seekers from Germany dropped significantly in 2020, in part due to the coronavirus pandemic.
From January to the end of October, 8,802 people were deported from Germany, said Secretary of State for the Interior Ministry, Volkmar Vogel, in response to a question from Ulla Jelpke, a deputy and internal affairs spokesperson for the Socialist Left Party.
The figure compares to 22,097 people deported in all of 2019.
If the number is sustained throughout the year, it would mark a drop of 52% compared to last year.
The drop in deportations was mainly due to the lack of flights. Destination countries have also sometimes refused to accept their citizens, citing protection against the coronavirus as a reason.
Call to stop all deportations
According to a report issued by the German Institute for Human Rights, Germany also temporarily suspended deportations in mid-March, at the beginning of the global pandemic.
However, “since the opening of borders and the resumption of air traffic, deportation measures to third countries have also been carried out.”
“This development is important in view of Germany’s duty to protect those affected by deportation,” the report said.
The institute also called for the total suspension of deportations amid the pandemic.
“In view of the uncertain situation and the imminent danger to health and life posed by COVID-19, deportations must be suspended for the time being.”
According to the German Interior Ministry, the main destination countries for deportations in 2020 were Albania, Georgia, France, Serbia and Moldova.
The number of voluntary departures financially supported by Germany will likely be lower in 2020 as well. By October, more than 4,000 people had taken advantage of this program, the Interior Ministry said.
Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan
Despite the reduction in deportations earlier this year, Germany resumed the practice with Afghan nationals this month. On Thursday, 40 asylum seekers arrived in the capital Kabul. Since December 2016, the German government has deported 937 asylum seekers to Afghanistan.
German NGOs and politicians condemned the move, in light of the rampant violence in the country and the continuing global pandemic.
“It is scandalous that the federal government continues to force deportations to one of the most dangerous countries in the world. People should not be sent to war and misery, ”Jelpke said of the resumption of deportations to Afghanistan.
Additionally, the country’s total halt to all deportations to Syria, a policy that has been in place since 2012, will expire at the end of the year.
Earlier this month, the state’s interior ministers did not agree to another extension, which means that in 2021, the authorities will be able to analyze the possibility of deporting people to Syria on a case-by-case basis.
Ministers have insisted that the rule will only apply to convicted criminals and those deemed to be a serious security risk.
