Kassel-Calden airport. The police escort 60 asylum seekers whose applications have been turned down, they’ve been driven here from temporary housingrr in the state of Hessen. Under new laws they don’t have to be given any notice. And now they’re going back to where they came from.
OTON 1: Thomas de Maizière – German Interior Minister
“Every refugee who comes here has the right to due process, and humane treatment. But that doesn’t mean that every refugee will be able to stay here.“
In 2015 the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees handed down decisions on more than 300 thousand asylum applications. To cope with the influx, they had to create 3000 new jobs. And Germany’s new asylum law also accelerates the process: take applicants from countries deemed to be safe.
OTON 2: Thomas de Maizière – German Interior Minister
“It makes a difference whether a refugee has come from a crisis region, like Syria or Iraq, or from a country where people are being politically persecuted. If that’s the case, the process will normally result in the refugee being allowed to stay. But if the refugee has come from a safe country, say one of the Balkan states or African countries, then their asylum application is usually rejected.“
And people without the right to asylum then have to leave Germany. If they refuse to go, they are deported. Since 2013, the number of repatriations has been growing again. Those who’ve been rejected are given back their passports, which are taken away during the asylum process. Now, specially trained police are given the task of accompanying them on the flight home.
OTON 3: Thomas de Maizière – German Interior Minister
“It’s tough deporting somebody, it’s tough for the police who have to do it. The asylum law can be positive, but it can also be very tough. That’s just part of it. That’s why we first try to persuade people to return voluntarily, and if they don’t, deport them quickly and without delay.“
Rejected asylum seekers have to bear the costs of the deportation. They are also given an entry
ban for the whole of Europe’s Schengen area. Financial support is only provided as an
exception. People who leave promptly after their applications have been turned down are not
forbidden from re-entering.