Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt stated that he seeks to reach an agreement with the Taliban government on the deportation and repatriation of Afghans directly to Afghanistan. “There needs to be a third party to hold talks with Afghanistan. But this cannot be a permanent solution,” the Minister said. He added, “I expect to reach direct agreements with Afghanistan to streamline the deportation process.”
Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, deportations to Afghanistan have ceased. The only deportation operation during this time occurred in August 2024, involving 28 criminals, and was conducted with the assistance of the State of Qatar. Additionally, Germany has yet to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
The Federal Minister also addressed the challenges hindering the deportation of Syrians, noting that the German government is in contact with Syrian authorities regarding the return of Syrian nationals with criminal records. He added that former Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser had previously established contact with the new authorities in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz had pledged during his election campaign to deport Afghans and Syrians. The coalition agreement of the current federal government includes several hardline measures on immigration, including the expansion of deportations and the suspension of resettlement programs for Afghan employees who had worked with German institutions.
The issue of immigration has dominated the recent election climate amid the rise of the far right. Political parties focused their campaigns on curbing immigration by tightening immigration and asylum policies. Shortly after taking office, the new government moved to implement stricter border controls and began turning away asylum seekers at the border. Just a few days ago, the Bundestag voted on a law to suspend family reunification.
The current center-right-led government is working to restrict asylum applications from Syrians and Afghans, who together represent the largest share of asylum seekers in Germany. In the past year alone, Syrians submitted 76,765 asylum applications, while Afghans filed 34,149.
