Over 40 Iraqis deported from Germany on deportation flight to Baghdad

Over 40 Iraqis deported from Germany on deportation flight to Baghdad
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Forty-three Iraqi men were deported from Germany to Baghdad on a charter flight on July 22, marking the first such deportation flight since February, Info Migrants reported. According to the German Interior Ministry, all individuals on board were required to leave the country, with some having criminal records.

The flight departed from Leipzig shortly before 11 a.m. and involved Iraqi nationals residing in seven different German states. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the deportation aligns with his new migration policy aimed at strengthening partnerships to increase deportations and enhance repatriation cooperation.

This deportation follows last week’s removal of 81 Afghan nationals, all reportedly convicted of crimes, which was the first deportation flight to Afghanistan under Germany’s new government that took office in May. Germany had resumed deporting Afghan nationals over ten months ago after a pause following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.

Last year, Germany deported 816 Iraqis, most returning directly to Iraq, while some were sent to other EU countries to process asylum applications. This recent flight coincided with an EU interior ministers’ meeting in Copenhagen, where migration and security policies, including deportations and irregular migration control, were discussed.

The UNHCR reports 1.2 million internally displaced Iraqis and 3 million people relying on humanitarian aid. According to a 2023 International Organization for Migration survey, nearly half of returning migrants expressed a desire to leave Iraq again within six months.