Germany's Deportations Surge to Record High in 2025

Record Deportation Figures for 2025

Germany is experiencing a significant increase in deportations, with official data indicating a record high for 2025. Between January and October of this year, over 19,500 individuals were deported from the country. This represents an 18% increase compared to the same period in the previous year, signaling a notable shift in Germany's migration enforcement policies.

More specifically, from January to September 2025, a total of 17,651 people were expelled, which is nearly 3,000 more than the 14,706 recorded during the same nine-month period in 2024. Projections suggest that the total number of deportations for the entirety of 2025 could reach almost 25,000, surpassing the approximately 20,000 individuals deported in 2024, which was already the highest figure in recent years.

Policy Shifts and Legislative Measures

The surge in deportations is largely attributed to a series of legislative and policy changes implemented by the German government. A key factor is the Repatriation Act (Rückführungsverbesserungsgesetz), which came into force on February 27, 2024. This act aimed to tighten and enforce deportation rules, granting authorities more power to deport asylum seekers, including those who had not committed criminal offenses.

Under the leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led government and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, Germany has unveiled additional measures to accelerate deportations. These include proposals to classify more countries as 'safe' via statutory order, bypassing parliamentary hurdles, and eliminating the requirement for a state-appointed lawyer for individuals held in deportation detention. The government has also expressed intentions to conclude bilateral repatriation agreements with countries of origin and transit to streamline the process.

Demographics and Destination Countries

The individuals deported represent a diverse demographic. Approximately 18%, or 3,095 people, were children and minors. Additionally, 275 individuals aged 60 to 70, and 54 people older than 70, were among those expelled.

The most frequent destination countries for deportations between January and September 2025 included:

• Turkey: 1,614 individuals
• Georgia: 1,379 individuals
• France, Spain, and Serbia

Smaller numbers were also deported to countries such as Iraq (157) and Iran (5). The government has also announced plans to initiate deportations of Syrian nationals with criminal records and to resume regular deportations of Afghan nationals convicted of crimes, through agreements being negotiated with authorities in Kabul.

Furthermore, around 1,700 of the deportations were classified as 'Dublin transfers,' where individuals were sent back to other EU countries where they first registered their asylum claims.

Political Context and European Alignment

The intensified deportation efforts come amid mounting political pressure within Germany and across the European Union to adopt a tougher stance on irregular migration. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been a vocal proponent of stricter enforcement, while the Left Party (Die Linke) has criticized the increase, with spokesperson Clara Bünger accusing the government of having 'almost no limits anymore when it comes to raising deportation numbers.'

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has joined counterparts from Austria, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, and Poland in a joint declaration calling for stricter EU-wide migration measures, emphasizing that 'effective returns are crucial to maintaining public trust in a balanced European migration system.' This coordinated push reflects a broader European effort to recalibrate migration policy.