Germany has deported 6,316 people so far this year, up from 4,792 during the same period last year. Total deportation figures for last year were recorded at 16,430, while in 2022, an estimated 12,945 people were deported. 

Last year and in 2022, Germany deported individuals mostly to North Macedonia, Georgia, Austria and other countries in the European Union (EU).

Germany is able to deport individuals to other EU nations under the Dublin agreement, which rules that asylum seekers must complete their applications in the first EU country they entered in the bloc.

Laws expedite deportations

Last February, Germany's Repatriation Improvement Act came into effect.

The main provisions of the law included tightening deportation rules for people who have been convicted of a criminal offense or have been proven to be a member of a criminal organization.

The law also granted authorities expanded powers concerning asylum seekers who are non-offenders. This included the length of time non-offending asylum seekers can be detained and allowed police to search their accommodation and mobile phones.  

Read more: Germany's deportation law – What has changed? 

Last week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the country would look into ways to start deporting people back to Afghanistan and Syria. Scholz’s announcement came following a knife attack reportedly by an Afghan national that resulted in the death of a German policeman and the injury of four people in Mannheim, southwestern Germany.  

Germany has not deported citizens of Afghanistan and Syria to their home countries in recent years because those nations are considered unsafe.

Under the principle of non-refoulement outlined in the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, refugees should not be returned to countries where they could face risks to their lives and freedom. 

Drop in number of asylum applications  

While deportations increased, the number of asylum applications in Germany continued to decline, dpa reported on Friday (June 7), citing the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

From January to May this year, 103,467 applications were filed, a 17.6% decrease compared to the same period last year.

Approximately one-third of asylum seekers were Syrian, followed by nationals from Afghanistan and Turkey. 

Government figures indicated that 131,750 applications for international protection were decided so far this year.

Less than half (46.8%) of the applicants were granted protection status, while 35,892 were rejected.

Additionally, 34,183 cases were terminated for various reasons, such as applicants withdrawing their applications.

Figures from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) indicated that countries in the European Union, plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+), received 1.14 million applications for asylum in 2023, representing a seven-year high. 

Germany received the highest number of asylum applications in the EU+, with 334,000 – nearly a third of the total. Collectively, four countries -- Germany, France, Spain, and Italy --received over two-thirds of all applications in 2023. 

European Parliament election results as of today (June 10) showed substantial gains for far-right parties.

The increased presence of right-wing parties in parliament is poised to impact future migration policy. Although not unified on all issues, these parties generally hold strong anti-migration stances. 

Read more: What the EU elections results might mean for migration policy