German Welcome 138 Afghan Refugees Amid Pakistan Deportation

Germany takes in more refugees: Plane with 138 Afghans landed in Leipzig

Leipzig/Berlin –  On Wednesday evening, a plane from Pakistan landed at Leipzig Airport. On board: 138 refugees from Afghanistan, including families with children.

The plane, chartered by the German government, took off from Islamabad, Pakistan. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, among the refugees who landed at Leipzig/Halle Airport are 45 children and young people, 76 of whom are female.

Commitments from the past

The Federal Foreign Office explains that these are people from various programs who have received a legally binding commitment to admission. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry stated that in these cases, concrete commitments have already been made in the past.

2600 Afghans Refugees waiting in Pakistan

There had already been several similar flights this year, bringing a total of 461 Afghans. According to the Federal Foreign Office, around 2,600 particularly vulnerable Refugees people from Afghanistan are currently waiting in Pakistan for admission to Germany.

Among them are Afghans who fear persecution by the Islamist Taliban, for example because they have campaigned for human rights in the past as lawyers or journalists.

Spahn: Admission helps AfD

Politicians from the CDU/CSU reacted with outrage in advance. Deputy parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (44) said on the ZDF program “Markus Lanz”: “Every plane from Afghanistan is a stronger AfD support program than any chairmanship of any committee could be.”

Green Party politician Konstantin von Notz (54) emphasized to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND): “We are talking about people who have undergone extremely intensive security checks by several German authorities. They have a legally binding acceptance commitment from Germany.”

Pakistan wants to deport millions of Refugees

Pakistan began a new wave of deportations of Afghan refugees at the beginning of April , aiming to expel three million people in the long term. The Minister of State for the Interior recently announced that the deportations starting in May would also affect those Afghans waiting in Pakistan to travel to Western countries.

Why Afghans Refugees continue to come to Germany

The future coalition government of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) wants to suspend admission programs for those in particular need of protection. This also affects people from Afghanistan. But they will still be admitted. What is this about? An overview.

Who came to Germany yesterday?

A plane carrying 138 Afghans landed at Leipzig/Halle Airport this evening. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 45 of them are children and young people. 76 are female and 62 are male.

“In these cases, Germany has already made concrete commitments to accept refugees in the past,” emphasized a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry. New commitments will not be made. The federal government’s top priority in these admissions is security. Therefore, each individual is screened accordingly before possible entry.

How many Afghans Refugees have arrived this year?

There had already been several similar flights this year, carrying a total of 461 people from Afghanistan. Planes landed in Berlin on February 25 and March 5, and one in Hanover on March 27. According to the Federal Foreign Office, around 2,600 particularly vulnerable people from Afghanistan are currently waiting in Pakistan for admission to Germany.

Who are the people (Refugees) being taken in?

In addition to former local staff of German institutions and their families, Afghans who fear persecution by the radical Islamist Taliban, for example because they have campaigned for human rights in the past as lawyers or journalists, will also be admitted.

The Interior Ministry spokesperson emphasized that security-related findings that speak against admission could arise at any time during the process and lead to people being barred from entry. This could even be the case immediately before departure.

Why is there criticism of the recording?

The likely next coalition government, consisting of the CDU/CSU and SPD, wants to end the humanitarian admission programs, including those for Afghans. Potentially vulnerable people are still arriving in Germany via flights from Pakistan. CDU/CSU politicians are criticizing the caretaker government for this.

What is the reason for the recordings?

When international forces left Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 after 20 years of military action, the radical Islamist Taliban recaptured the country.

Tens of thousands of people who had worked for the Bundeswehr or German organizations, who had fought for democracy, the rule of law, and freedom, lost their prospects and feared persecution. This was especially true for women. Out of a sense of responsibility for these people, the then Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) government and the subsequent “Ampel” coalition government promised to accept those at risk.

How many people (Refugees) were admitted in total?

According to the Federal Foreign Office, more than 36,000 Afghans have been admitted since the Taliban took power, the vast majority of them immediately after the Islamists recaptured the country in summer 2021.

They came through various programs: The local staffing process for former local employees of the Bundeswehr, police, ministries, and German organizations has been in place since 2013. Many people also came through the so-called human rights list introduced in 2021. This provided protection to people who had supported the Western states’ goal of establishing a democratic, constitutional state in Afghanistan: lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, police officers, cultural workers, and teachers.

In 2022, the traffic light coalition government launched a federal admission program for vulnerable Afghans, through which up to 1,000 people were expected to arrive per month. However, actual arrivals remained below this figure: According to the Federal Foreign Office, a total of around 1,400 people have entered the country through the program so far, most recently primarily women and children.

How do the procedures work?

Since no flights can be organized directly from Afghanistan due to the lack of German representations there, the procedures are being handled in Pakistan. This involves not only the embassy but also numerous security agencies. According to the Interior Ministry, the Federal Police and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution are conducting extensive security checks, including in-depth interviews.

How long can people (Refugees) stay in Germany?

According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, people from Afghanistan will initially be granted a right of residence for three years.

Why does the future black-red coalition want to stop the recordings?

The main reason is what the CDU/CSU and SPD consider to be the excessive number of newly arriving refugees in Germany. They want to further limit refugee immigration and, for this reason, among other things, stop humanitarian admission programs.

Why are there still flights?

The acting German government has decided not to make any new admission commitments. However, it remains committed to fulfilling previously made commitments. According to the Federal Foreign Office, 2,600 people are still waiting in Pakistan who have a binding admission commitment from Germany.

“Humanly deeply shabby” – Greens attack Union in dispute over Afghans Refugees

The CDU and CSU no longer want to accept Afghans into Germany, even though 2,600 have a legally binding commitment to accept them. The Greens strongly criticize this stance. Konstantin von Notz believes it undermines confidence in the German constitutional state.

The debate about accepting vulnerable Afghans in Germany continues. The Local Staff Sponsorship Network welcomed the charter flights to Germany , which the CDU/CSU and SPD want to end after the formation of the new federal government. Green Party politicians criticize the CDU/CSU’s position on stopping the admission.

“Once again, the Union is firing on all cylinders against accepting people who have fled. The Taliban’s reign of terror,” Konstantin von Notz, deputy parliamentary group leader of the Green Party. Told the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” (RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland). This is “not only deeply despicable from a human perspective.” But also undermines confidence in the German constitutional state and the commitments it has made.

Green Party member Says about Refugees:

Green Party member of the Bundestag Andreas Audretsch told the television station. Phoenix that for 20 years German soldiers in Afghanistan had been supported by local staff. “We promised them that they could find protection here from the brutal Taliban.” To refuse this now was “just about the most unchristian thing” he had experienced in recent years.

Since the Taliban regained power in 2021. Germany has been accepting vulnerable people from the country who arrive on charter flights organized in Pakistan. On Wednesday evening, a plane carrying 138 Afghans with admission commitments landed at Leipzig/Halle Airport. According to the Federal Foreign Office, there are currently around 2,600 Afghans in Pakistan. Who have a legally binding admission commitment and are awaiting their departure.

Why Pakistani authorities have begun deporting people (Refugees) back to Afghanistan?

Pakistani authorities have begun deporting people back to Afghanistan. Some Afghans have been waiting in guesthouses paid for by the German government. For almost a year and a half now. Many have developed mental health problems during this time. Experts describe the situation as repeatedly attempting suicide by desperate individuals.

Since the Taliban conquest of the country, local staff, i.e. Former local employees of the Bundeswehr, ministries. And German organizations such as the Goethe Institute and Deutsche Welle, have been accepted. Also accepted are people who have worked in the fields of justice, politics, media, culture, education, sports, or science. Or who fear persecution by the Taliban because of their commitment to democracy and civil liberties.

Audretsch: There are no longer any security concerns

In addition to the questionable humanitarian success of the admission programs. There continues to be sharp criticism of the security aspects. Security circles have expressed concern for months that the federal government could be flying dangerous individuals to Germany. Meanwhile, two public prosecutors’ offices investigated employees of the Federal Foreign Office on suspicion. That Afghans were also obtaining visas with forged documents. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office dropped the case in December, and further investigations are underway in Cottbus.

Audretsch explained that the large number of flights currently taking place. Before the new federal government takes office was due to the extensive checks carried out by the German authorities. “Those were difficult years of implementation because the security checks were carried out so intensively,” said the Green Party politician. “We’ve now reached the point where there are no concerns from a security policy perspective.”

The Local Staff Sponsorship Network

The Local Staff Sponsorship Network explained that security checks are now conducted at an extremely high level. “I’m significantly less concerned about this than with people from Afghanistan. Who come to Germany via uncontrolled escape routes.” Markus Kurczyk, project manager for the sponsorship network, told the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” (RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland). The Local Staff Network looks after Afghans who have worked for German institutions, authorities, and companies in the country.

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Sources used:

• With material from the News agencies afp, Reuters news agency, BBC News and CNN reports. The content has been independently analyzed and rewritten to provide original insights.

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