Almost 9,500 people were deported from Germany in the first six months of the year, an answer from Germany's federal Ministry of the Interior to a parliamentary inquiry from the Left Party has revealed.

The same period last year saw 7,861 deportations, according to the dpa news agency, which says it has access to the document. In 2023, a total of 16,430 people were forcibly returned, compared to just under 13,000 in 2022.

According to dpa, the largest group of deportees by nationality were Turkish nationals (915), followed by Georgians (839), North Macedonians (774), Afghans (675), Albanians (586) and Syrians (534). Georgia, North Macedonia, Austria, Albania and Serbia were the main destination countries of the deportations.

Germany is currently not carrying out deportations to Syria and Afghanistan. But the fatal knife attack on a police officer in Mannheim at the end of May prompted the government coalition to discuss this possibility.

Just under a year ago, Chancellor Scholz called for deportations "on a grand scale". Following Friday's terrorist attack in Solingen, calls for increased deportations have grown louder once again.

Also read: Solingen attack puts spotlight on Germany's deportation laws

More than 3,000 Dublin cases

According to the ministry figures, roughly 82 percent of this year's deportees left by plane, while a third of all deportations were transfers under the so-called Dublin Regulation. In 164 Dublin cases, people were deported to Bulgaria, where the Solingen attacker was also to be transferred, dpa reported.

The ministry data also revealed that as of June 30, 226,882 people in Germany were obliged to leave the country, as they were not entitled to asylum. Of these, around 182,000 have a Duldung (tolerated stay). This means they cannot be deported for certain reasons, for example because they do not have any identification documents or are ill.

A total of 44,155, however, are immediately required to leave the country ("unmittelbar ausreisepflichtig"). According to news outlet Correctiv, these include, in particular, people who have attracted attention due to their ideological proximity to terrorist organizations.

Also read: What does Germany's asylum reform mean for migrants with a 'Duldung'?

More than 14,000 failed deportations

According to ministry figures, in the first half of this year, local police failed to hand over deportees to Germany's federal police in more than 14,000 cases. Reasons for this include canceled flights, absence or illness of the deportee and other organizational reasons.

Additionally, 534 deportations were aborted during or after the handover to the federal police, dpa reported. Among the cited reasons for these aborted deportations were airlines or pilots refusing to take deportees on board, "acts of resistance," medical reasons, or ongoing legal proceedings.

In late February, the Repatriation Improvement Act (Rückführungsverbesserungsgesetz) came into force. It is particularly aimed at tightening and enforcing deportation rules for people who have been convicted of a criminal offense or have been proven to be a member of a criminal organization.

But it also grants authorities greater powers over asylum seekers who have not committed any offenses, extending the amount of time they can be detained and allowing police to search their accommodation and smartphones.

Also read: Germany fails to carry out two in three deportations

with dpa