Germany Starts Sending More Turkish Asylum Seekers Back Home

Last updated on October 2nd, 2024 at 11:51 am

Germany has recently begun deporting rejected asylum seekers more than ever under a new deal with Turkey. The German government has said this is a good start towards halting cases of illegal immigration to the country.

What’s Happening?

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) wrote that deportation flights have already taken off.

• Some 200 people have been repatriated so far.
• The latest offer from Turkey has been to accept up to 500 people per week.

Why Is This Important?

Currently, asylum seekers in Germany, ranking third after the Syrians and the Afghanis, originate primarily from Turkey. However, only 8 percent of Turkish asylum seekers are granted permission to remain in Germany. Most of these asylum seekers are Kurdish people.

Nancy Faeser, Germany’s interior minister, said:

• The new agreement serves efficiently in terms of sending people back to Turkey quicker.
• This is, of course, a great step forward in the attempts to curtail the problem of Illegal Immigration.

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Turkey’s Response

Not long after that, the Turkish government dismissed these reports. They said:

• Still there is no deal to deport a large number of Turkish citizens back.
• They urged people not to accept these statements.
• When asked about Turkey’s denial, Faeser said:
• Germany is negotiating with many countries to make the procedure of rejection, or as they call it, ‘return’ more efficient.
• The information about these meetings is confidential.

The Current Situation

• The number was only 1,300 deportations of Turkish citizens from Germany in the year 2023.
• About only 441 were sent back by the first half of 2024.
• This is small compared to 15,500 Turkish voters in Germany that are expected to leave the country.

Why This Is Happening Now

There is increasing pressure on the German government to remove from the country individuals who are not legally allowed to be in the country at the first instance. Last October, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that the deportations should occur “on a large scale.”

Concerns About This Policy

Thus the Pro Asyl declared that it is ‘irresponsible’ to send back Turkish nationals. They focus on the outlook of Turkey on dissent and human rights in the nation.As for the agreement, which has been tentatively reached, it is still unclear whether it may have any carrots for Turkey. The Turkish government has been urging Germany to be more lenient to Turkish citizens wishing to travel to Schengen Zone nations.