In the first nine months of 2025, Germany deported 17,651 people, a sharp rise from the previous year. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is advocating stricter measures, including deportations to Afghanistan and Syria. Critics warn of the risks to those affected.
The number of deportations from Germany rose to 17,651 in the first three quarters of 2025, compared to 14,706 in the same period of 2024, as reported by the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung citing the federal government's response to a query from the Left Party faction. The majority of those affected were deported to Turkey (1,614) and Georgia (1,379). Among the deportees were 3,095 children or youths, accounting for nearly one in five; additionally, 275 people aged 60 to 70 and 54 over 70.
Clara Bünger, the Left Party's spokesperson on refugee and migration policy, criticized: "The authorities would hardly know any taboos anymore when it comes to driving up the number of deportations."
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is advancing a stricter migration policy. He insists on deportations to Afghanistan: Since the Taliban's takeover in summer 2021, criminals have been deported there twice – once in August 2024 under the previous coalition government and once in mid-July 2025 under the current black-red coalition. This practice is highly controversial, as men in Afghanistan face arbitrary punishments and women are restricted in their fundamental rights.
At the end of September 2025, Dobrindt announced an agreement with Syria to initially deport criminals and later people without residence rights. "The criterion will be: Those who have integrated, who work, have a chance to stay in Germany," he said. Deportations to Syria are also highly disputed due to the volatile security situation.