Data published by the German government indicates that roughly two thirds of all attempts to deport people whose asylum applications have been rejected fail. Government members cite logistical issues, such as canceled flights, or failure to locate the individuals on the day of departure, as possible explanations of the high rate. Meanwhile, positive asylum decisions are on the rise.
Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) may not look at records and data on the cell phones of refugees without good reason, according to a court ruling.
Judges could announce this week if authorities broke the law when they combed an asylum seeker's phone to find out where she was from. The searches are common practice — and the ruling could have major consequences.
The number of asylum applications in Germany has risen significantly in the past year. In addition to around one millions Ukrainians seeking protection, almost a quarter of a million people from elsewhere submitted asylum applications in Germany in 2022.
There is growing controversy about government plans to build a new asylum processing center at Berlin's new airport. A group of refugee charities has now issued a statement against the so-called entry and exit center, saying it amounts to little more than a detention facility.
More rejected asylum seekers were sent back to flood-ridden Pakistan this week as German groups claimed that many migrants are unlawfully detained pending deportation.
Close to 50,000 people who were granted refugee protection in Greece have applied for asylum in Germany, Germany's interior ministry said. Out of 8,000 applications processed so far, nine in ten have reportedly been approved.
Roughly one third of all rejected asylum applications in Germany succeed when launching an appeal against the original decision after their appeal is examined by administrative courts. This can cost taxpayers in Germany up to 25 million euros annually.
She fled North Macedonia after she was assaulted, urinated on and almost raped. But German authorities have designated her home country as "safe" — and now they want to deport her and her family.
German authorities last week deported an Iranian woman and her teenage daughter, leaving the girl's father behind. He now faces a dilemma: Should he fight to bring his wife and daughter back, or follow them to the land they fled more than a decade ago?
Germany aims to begin processing the asylum claims of tens of thousands of people many of whom already have refugee status in Greece. The applications had been put on hold by German migration authorities.
Last year saw another sharp rise in the number of people arriving 'irregularly' in Germany, even though they had already received refugee protection in Greece. Tens of thousands of claims for asylum in Germany remain on hold while authorities try to tackle the problem.