The so-called "Orderly Return Law" (Geordnete-Rückkehr-Gesetz), which was enacted in Germany a year ago has failed to achieve its objective of raising the number of deportations in the first six months of its existence.
Last year, German authorities ordered over 11,000 foreign nationals to leave the country, that's 32% more than the year before. An expulsion is issued when a foreigner is deemed a threat to public safety.
The number of deportations from Germany has dropped significantly during the coronavirus pandemic. Many destination states continue to uphold entry restrictions, slowing the forced return of failed asylum seekers and criminal offenders.
The Italian guarantor for the rights of detained persons has said that the number of people in CPR migrant repatriation centers has dropped slightly but that there is still a significant number of people in hotspots.
Germany sent back 31 rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan. They arrived in Kabul early on Thursday morning -- just two days after the most recent attack in the Afghan capital, which claimed six lives.
Greece has started sending back around 30 rejected asylum seekers a day to Turkey, said the Greek government on Monday.
The first regional center for migrant repatriation on the Italian island of Sardiania opened on Monday. The facility is located in the town of Macomer, where dozens of migrants arrived recently.
Despite the rising number of asylum seekers ordered to leave Germany, deportation figures fell in 2019. But the reasons why are more complicated than it may seem.
The move is part of a controversial government policy to relocate Syrians from Turkey's largest city. Some were sent to refugee camps outside Istanbul, while NGOs claim that some were deported to conflict zones in Syria.
Germany's federal police chief said a lack of pre-deportation facilities is hampering the deportation of rejected asylum seekers and illegal foreigners to third-countries.
A new CPR center, where migrants are detained while they await deportation, has opened in Gradisca d'Isonzo, in northeastern Italy, near the border with Slovenia. The facility can host up to 150 people.
A justice in Turin, Italy, ordered a last-minute suspension of the illegitimate repatriation of a young migrant originally from The Gambia. The migrant had been transferred to a repatriation center because even though he had the necessary requirements for obtaining a legal stay permit in Italy, he hadn't managed to obtain one due to a delay in communications with his home country.