Germany has deported an Afghan national who has no criminal record for the first time since the Taliban returned to power. According to German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the deportation took place on Tuesday, breaking the previous practice of prioritising convicted individuals in returns.
The man had exhausted all legal avenues for asylum in Germany, and as a result had lost his right to remain in the country. After his application was officially rejected, he attempted to flee to another European country in the hope of securing better chances of remaining. However, that other European state determined that the man was in the country illegally. As a result, he was returned to Germany, which then deported him to Afghanistan in accordance with its immigration rules. This case marks a significant shift in Germany's approach to individuals who have not been convicted of crimes.
The man was one of 31 Afghan nationals deported by plane on Tuesday. The remaining 30 people on the same flight had been convicted of crimes, confirming that a strict approach is still applied to criminals, with the addition of this new case involving someone without a criminal record.
Germany has resumed systematic deportations to Afghanistan in 2024, marking the end of a long pause in these practices. Since the resumption of deportations, Germany has returned more than 200 people to the country, illustrating the intensification of Berlin's immigration policy towards the region.
