Germany has deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, signaling a major shift in migration policy under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government. The Interior Ministry confirmed the flight departed Friday morning, stating all deportees had criminal convictions and expulsion orders.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the move reflects Germany’s new hardline approach: “There is no right of residence for serious criminals in our country.” The deportation, coordinated with Qatar due to a lack of direct contact with the Taliban, marks Germany’s largest expulsion to Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Germany halted deportations to Afghanistan in 2021 but resumed last year under the previous government with the deportation of 28 convicted Afghans. The Merz-led coalition, now governing with the CDU/CSU and Social Democrats, aims to tighten border security, limit family reunification rights, and increase deportations of foreign criminals—especially in response to a rise in far-right political pressure and recent deadly attacks involving asylum seekers.
However, the decision has drawn strong criticism from rights groups. Amnesty International condemned the deportations, calling Afghanistan’s human rights situation “catastrophic” and highlighting extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances under Taliban rule. Just this month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials for crimes against humanity related to the treatment of women and girls.
The deportations come as Dobrindt hosts a European migration summit with ministers from France, Poland, Austria, Denmark, and others. He emphasized the need to “strengthen European migration policy,” while Chancellor Merz said Germany remains open to skilled migration, but must reduce pressure on local administrations by addressing irregular and criminal migration more forcefully.