Austria to Follow Germany’s Lead in Deporting ‘Criminal’ Afghan Migrants
Austria's Migration and Asylum Office has announced plans to collaborate with Germany to deport "criminal" Afghan migrants.
Austria's Migration and Asylum Office has announced plans to collaborate with Germany to deport "criminal" Afghan migrants.
Gerhard Karner, Austria's Interior Minister, described Germany's decision as "very good" and confirmed that negotiations are underway with Germany to facilitate the deportation of "criminal" Afghans.
The Austrian federal government stated that the country's Interior Ministry is in discussions with Germany's Interior Ministry to arrange the direct return of Afghan asylum seekers deemed "criminal" to Afghanistan.
On Friday, Karner mentioned that deporting asylum seekers to Afghanistan is now possible and that he has long advocated for this measure. He expressed his satisfaction with the development.
Karner also noted that the presence of a terrorist regime in Afghanistan was the reason for the suspension of deportations. He added that, because of this situation, efforts are being made in close cooperation with regional partners to facilitate the direct return of criminal asylum seekers to Kabul.
Previously, Austria's Migration and Asylum Office had announced that deportations to Afghanistan would be permitted on a case-by-case basis due to changing security conditions.
In March, Karner called for a review of the EU-wide ban on deporting asylum seekers to Afghanistan and Syria, emphasising that such action is necessary and urgent.
At that time in Brussels, Karner stated that returning individuals to countries such as Syria or Afghanistan was currently not permissible due to violations of EU laws. He also called for a reassessment of the possibility of deporting asylum seekers from EU countries to these nations.
On Friday, Germany announced that it had deported 28 "criminal" Afghan asylum seekers on a charter flight to Kabul. German officials confirmed that this is the first group of asylum seekers to be returned to Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover.
