The pressure on the federal government to deport more people from Germany has been growing for a long time. There were negotiations behind the scenes – now there are consequences.
Germany has begun newly negotiated deportations to Turkey. The German Press Agency learned this from government circles. The “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” first reported.
Initially, a total of 200 Turks are to be brought to Turkey. The repatriation should gradually be processed decentrally via scheduled flights and has now begun in this way. The federal states are involved in obtaining the necessary documents.
Faeser: Deport to Turkey more effectively
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) announced the consistent deportation of irregular migrants to Turkey in an interview. “We have now achieved that returns to Turkey can be carried out more quickly and effectively and that Turkey can take back citizens who are not allowed to stay in Germany more quickly,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group. She spoke of “great progress” and “another building block to limit irregular migration”.
Large-scale deportations?
Unlike previous migration agreements with Uzbekistan or Kenya, for example, returns to Turkey can involve large-scale deportations. In the past year, more and more asylum seekers came from Turkey. However, deportations to the partner country are politically sensitive due to its geopolitical role.
14,500 Turks are required to leave the country
German diplomatic circles had said in the past that Turkey was blocking the readmission of Turks in Germany who were required to leave the country, citing legal concerns. Almost 1,300 Turkish citizens were deported from Germany in 2023, as the government announced in response to a request from the AfD. At the end of April 2024, around 14,500 Turks in Germany were required to leave the country, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
16,000 visas for Turks
It was initially unclear whether the agreement also included concessions to Ankara. Turkey has long been insisting on visa facilitation for its citizens. In Turkey you often hear the accusation that visa applications are being rejected for no reason. Another accusation that has spread is that the long German waiting times are calculated.
At the same time, between 2018 and 2023, more visas were only granted to people from China, the most populous country in the world. In the first five months of this year alone, Germany issued almost 16,000 national visas for Turkish applicants. In 2019 it was less than half during the same period.
Scholz criticizes pro asylum
Turkey is currently in third place on the list of the most important countries of origin for asylum seekers. In the first eight months of this year, 21,590 Turkish citizens applied for asylum in Germany. According to asylum experts, the fact that more Turks are now coming also has to do with the consequences of the devastating earthquake of 2023.
In recent election campaigns, among other things, the pressure on the traffic light government to increase deportations had increased. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced that he wanted to deport people “on a large scale”. The refugee rights organization Pro Asyl criticized the course. Pro Asyl, for example, viewed a repatriation agreement between the Federal Chancellor and the Turkish President as “irresponsible”. The government in Ankara has been criticized for the human rights situation and harsh measures against political opponents. According to Pro Asyl, most Turkish asylum seekers in Germany are Kurds.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
