Germany Deports 28 Afghan Criminals Following Taliban Takeover

The German government announced on the 30th (local time) that it has deported 28 refugees from Afghanistan who committed crimes in the country back to their home country.

The refugee center in Solingen where the bladed weapon terrorist lived.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

This is the first repatriation of Afghan refugees since the Islamic militant group Taliban reoccupied Afghanistan in August 2021.

Germany has protected not only Afghan refugees whose asylum applications were rejected due to the security situation in their home country but also criminals.

Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit stated that all of them are criminals who have been convicted and ordered deported, adding, "Germany's security is more important than protecting criminals and dangerous individuals."

Instead of directly negotiating with the Taliban regime, which the international community does not recognize as a legitimate government, Germany reportedly requested support from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have maintained relations with the Taliban. The charter flight that took off from Leipzig Airport carrying the criminals on this day was Qatar Airways.

With the resumption of deportations of criminals from Afghanistan, it is expected that Syrians, who have been protected due to civil war, will also face rejection of asylum or deportation if they commit crimes.

Among foreigners who applied for asylum in Germany last year, Syrians were the largest group with 102,930 applicants. Afghans were the third largest with 51,275 applicants.

The German government declared the deportation of criminals from these countries after a police officer was killed by an Afghan refugee at the end of May. On the 23rd, a Syrian refugee wielded a weapon at the Solingen festival, killing three and injuring eight. All of them committed crimes while under subsidiary protection, which corresponds to humanitarian residence permits.

As heinous crimes by refugees continue and claims arise that some enjoy refugee welfare benefits while vacationing in their home countries, anti-immigration sentiment in Germany is growing stronger.

In a survey by the polling agency Forza, 87% of respondents said that criminals from Syria and Afghanistan should be sent back. 45% said that people from these two countries should not be accepted from the start. 53% supported permanently controlling Germany’s borders.