Dobrindt announces drastic tightening of asylum and controversial deportations

Dobrindt announces drastic tightening of asylum and controversial deportations

In a current meeting on the Zugspitze today, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and his colleagues from several European countries, including France, Poland, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic, set the course for a stricter European asylum system. One thing is clear to politicians: things have to happen faster and more efficiently. Dobrindt called for speed in asylum procedures and a waiver of triple checks. It is also being discussed whether asylum procedures can also take place in third countries in the future without the applicants having to have a connection to these countries. Standardized deportations to Syria and Afghanistan should also be the rule in the future, as Deutschlandfunk reports.

In this context, a controversial deportation flight to Kabul took place this morning, on which 81 Afghans, all of whom were legally obliged to leave the country and who had committed crimes in the past, were brought back to their homeland. Among those returned were 15 people from Bavarian and 13 from Baden-Württemberg prisons. Critics, including human rights organizations Amnesty International and Pro Asyl, expressed sharp concerns. In view of the catastrophic human rights situation in Afghanistan, where torture, extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances are commonplace, the deportation flight is considered to be highly risky, according to the Tagesschau.

Opposition and criticism of the deportations

Amnesty International and Pro Asyl described the deportations as a clear violation of international law because the Taliban rule with brutal force. UN High Commissioner Volker Türk is therefore calling for an immediate stop to all deportations to Afghanistan. He warned that forced returns could put those affected in acute danger. Dobrindt, on the other hand, defended the measures and explained that there could be no right of residence for serious criminals. Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his gratitude to Qatar for its support in carrying out the deportation flight, but at the same time emphasized that diplomatic recognition of the Taliban is not in sight. This ambivalent attitude of the federal government is causing a lot of discussion in the political landscape and, not least, among citizens.

It remains to be seen how the situation will develop further. Apart from the political measures and the critical situation in Afghanistan, the question arises as to the responsibility of Europe and Germany in this complex crisis situation. Human rights should not be lost sight of, especially when it comes to the return of rejected asylum seekers. How politicians react here will be of great importance in the coming weeks and months. In any case, this first deportation flight in a year is causing a tense exchange about the ongoing discussions about asylum policy. The situation for many people in Afghanistan is currently even more precarious than ever before, which makes the repatriation of deportees seem critical, as [ZDF](https://www.zdfheute.de/politik/afghanistan-ab Schiebeflug-un-kritik-volker-tuerk-amnesty-proasyl-100.html) also notes.