Germany Deports 81 Afghans Amid EU Migration Talks

Germany has intensified its deportation of Afghan nationals, recently sending 81 men back to Afghanistan, marking the second such deportation since the Taliban's return to power and the first under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's administration. The deported individuals had prior judicial encounters and were rejected asylum seekers, with the operation conducted with Qatar's assistance. This move is part of a broader strategy by Germany's government to tighten migration controls, including increasing border police presence, suspending family reunions for many migrants, and coordinating with European counterparts to streamline asylum and deportation processes. Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt led a meeting with European counterparts and the EU Home Affairs Commissioner to agree on goals aimed at tightening asylum rules across the bloc, including reinstating deportations to countries like Afghanistan and Syria as a standard practice and establishing secure centers outside the EU for processing asylum seekers. The EU is also under pressure to enhance its migration policies, with calls from officials like the head of the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) to strengthen return policies and increase deportations of rejected asylum seekers, despite criticisms regarding human rights concerns. These developments underscore a firm shift in European migration policy emphasizing enforcement and cooperation to reduce illegal migration effectively.