Neither the German nor the Iraqi governments have confirmed the agreement, but according to information sent to Rudaw by the German interior ministry, a large number of migrants have been deported to Iraq and the Kurdsitan Region over the past two weeks.
A spokesperson for the German interior ministry on Friday told Rudaw’s Znar Shino that Germany deported 222 Iraqi citizens in the first three months of 2024 - 169 of which were sent back to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and 53 to other countries from which the migrants had come from.
A total of 22,757 Iraqi citizens have been ordered to leave the country, according to the interior ministry, 20,611 of which have duldung - an order certifying that they cannot leave or be deported due to obstacles.
Germany is a favored destination country for Kurds and Iraqis who want to immigrate to Europe.
Each year, tens of thousands of predominantly young individuals depart Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, seeking improved prospects in Europe. In pursuit of a better life, they navigate perilous smuggling routes, risk their lives in harsh and freezing travel conditions, and undertake treacherous sea crossings to reach mainland Europe or the United Kingdom.
The German states of Bavaria and North-Rhine Westphalia have the largest number of migrant from the Kurdistan Region. According to data obtained by Rudaw this week, 77 Iraqi citizens have been deported from Bavaria and 288 have voluntarily returned to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
In North-Rhine Westphalia, 14 of the 27 Iraqi citizens deported from that state have been sent back to Iraq.
In an interview with Rudaw in August 2023, Gonul Eglence, a member of the regional parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, said that Iraqi asylum seekers must not be deported to Iraq because it is an unsafe country. She explained that many individuals cannot be deported because they could face political persecution or their lives would be at risk due to their religious beliefs.
"Those people will not be deported. Instead, they receive Duldung. That means they can stay temporarily," Eglence said.
In 2023, more than 500 Iraqi nationals were deported from Germany, only around 200 of which were sent back to Iraq while the others were sent to third countries.
