Iraq
Germany is ramping up deportations, with hundreds of individuals being returned at its borders. File photo: Erik-Holm Langhof/EHL Media/IMAGO
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany has deported a fresh batch of Iraqi nationals, including individuals from the Kurdistan Region, on a charter flight from Dusseldorf, as Berlin tightens its migration rules and anti-immigration measures grow in popularity across Europe, according to German media citing authorities from North Rhine-Westphalia’s refugee ministry.
The deportation, which took place on Tuesday, included a number of Yazidis, according to German media, without elaboration.
Of the 50 deportees, 26 had criminal convictions, Rudaw has learned.
Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) told Rudaw on Wednesday it "conducts the asylum procedure and decides whether to grant protection or reject an asylum application."
"If, after examining an asylum application, the Federal Office determines that there are no grounds for protection, it issues a deportation order along with the negative decision and announces that the asylum seeker may be returned to their home country even without their consent," BAMF added.
It explained that the federal office is not responsible for carrying out deportations, but rather “the federal states.”
"However, the enforcement of the deportation warning is not the responsibility of the Federal Office, but rather the responsibility of the federal states, which act through their immigration authorities."
Germany is ramping up deportations, with hundreds of individuals being returned at its borders, sparking criticism from opposition parties over human rights concerns.
In mid-August, Berlin’s interior ministry said more than 400 Iraqi nationals had been deported since February, including individuals from the Kurdistan Region.
Karim al-Nouri, undersecretary for the Iraqi ministry of migration and displaced, told Rudaw on Thursday that Germany has rejected asylum cases of over 30,000 Iraqis.
"A large number of Iraqis, especially in Germany where there are more than 30,000 people, have had their applications rejected. Through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Migration, consultations are being held with the European Union," he said.
"Most migrants are from the Kurdistan Region and approximately 95 percent of them are young people, who are looking for a better life," he added.
In January, the German parliament passed a controversial migration control bill aimed at tightening enforcement. The legislation includes five measures: preventing illegal immigration, deporting those without legal status, deporting foreign criminals, detaining those under removal orders, and limiting family reunification.
Germany remains a popular destination for tens of thousands of Iraqis and residents of the Kurdistan Region who attempt to reach Europe each year, often through smuggling routes.
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