Despite a 27% increase in deportations from Germany of asylum seekers whose applications have been rejected in the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, the German government is seeking to expedite process further.
The German government has approved a new bill proposed by the Ministry of the Interior that aims to speed up deportations, which will be discussed by parliament soon.
The bill gives the police more powers to carry out deportations, such as conducting raids on collective housing for those whose asylum applications have been rejected, and not informing them in advance of planned deportations unless they have children under the age of 12, in which case they must be informed one month in advance.
Moatasem Al-Rifai, a member of the Immigration and Integration Council in Nuremberg (southern Germany), said, “The new deportation law imposes restrictions on the basic rights of asylum seekers, which is in line with the right-wing populist discourse.”
He added that “the bill does not increase the number of deportations, but rather increases the risks to basic rights such as the right to housing, as it allows the police to search people’s homes even in their sleep.”
