On Friday morning, a deportation flight to Afghanistan took off, marking the first significant action by Germany’s coalition government, the Ampel, following the announcement of a new “security package” aimed at tightening migration policies. This move comes just a day after Interior Minister Nancy Faeser revealed plans to increase deportations to countries like Syria and Afghanistan in response to the recent terror attack in Solingen. The flight carried 28 criminals, including individuals convicted of serious offenses.
Details of the deportees
The deportation, planned for two months and reportedly supported by Qatar, was timed to underscore the government’s renewed commitment to stricter migration policies. According to Faeser, the Interior Ministry prioritized the deportation of individuals convicted of particularly severe crimes. Among those on the flight were five men from Baden-Württemberg, all labeled as “serious offenders” by the Stuttgart Ministry of Migration. One of these men was involved in a brutal rape case in Illerkirchberg, where a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by multiple attackers after being incapacitated with drugs and alcohol. This individual had already served a two-year and two-month prison sentence before being placed in deportation detention, although the Taliban’s takeover had previously halted his deportation.
Another deportee from Afghanistan was identified as a “repeat and serious offender” with over 160 criminal charges. The Stuttgart Ministry reported that four of the men were transported directly from prison to Leipzig/Halle Airport, while another was apprehended by the police for deportation.
Bavaria and other states involved
Bavaria also contributed to the deportation, sending three convicted criminals to Afghanistan. As confirmed by Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), two were convicted of sexual offenses, while the third had been sentenced for a drug-related crime. These individuals were aged 27, 29, and 30. Additionally, two Afghan criminals from Saxony-Anhalt were deported. One of these individuals was serving a lengthy juvenile sentence for two counts of rape, while the other had been convicted of sexually abusing minors and was also under investigation for distributing drugs to minors.
Nationwide coordination and further deportations
Niedersachsen’s Interior Ministry reported that five “serious offenders,” aged between 20 and 30, were on board the flight. These individuals had either been deported directly from prison or after their release. Hessen deported six criminals, while Thüringen sent one man convicted of aggravated assault and theft. Rheinland-Pfalz deported a sexual offender, and two men from Berlin were also on board, one convicted of multiple counts of aggravated assault and the other of rape. Nordrhein-Westfalen participated in the deportation action as well, although specific details on the number of deportees from this state were not immediately available. Information on deportees from other German states was also initially lacking.
As Germany continues to discuss the reorientation of its asylum policy, the Union has criticized the Ampel government’s new migration measures, highlighting the ongoing national debate over how to handle such sensitive issues.
