Germany deports fewer Islamist threats

The German authorities are less and less successful in getting Islamist threats out of the country who are obliged to leave the country. According to a response from the federal government to a query from the AfD parliamentary group, a total of 17 people who belong to the Islamist spectrum and whose cases were discussed in the joint federal and state counter-terrorism center were deported in the first nine months of this year.

Five of them were so-called threats. Two of the deportees were classified by the police as relevant persons. For comparison: In 2021, with the support of the federal government, the federal states had deported 22 perpetrators and 6 other Islamists who were considered relevant persons - mostly to their countries of origin.

"Dangerous" is what the police call people who they believe are capable of serious, politically motivated acts of violence, including terrorist attacks. The circle of "relevant people" includes those who belong to the scene as "leaders", "actors" or as logisticians and supporters.

In addition to the blocking and delaying tactics of some countries of origin, there are also practical, legal and political problems. A deportation freeze applies to Syria due to the situation in the country. There have been no returns to Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August 2021.

With the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine on February 24 and its consequences, Russia has now become another state with a view to deporting those who are dangerous, where there are problems. Last year, most of the Islamist threats were deported to Turkey and – especially Chechens – to Russia.

One each of the five perpetrators who were returned from Germany between the beginning of January and the end of September this year were taken to Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Lebanon. The authorities sent another one back to Italy, which is responsible for his asylum case under the so-called Dublin rules. According to the federal government, 317 Islamist threats were in Germany at the end of September, including 132 threats without German citizenship.

The AfD sees the responsibility for the small number of dangerous deportations with Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). "The widely announced deportation offensive by Interior Minister Faeser has not materialized," criticized interior politician Martin Hess.