Forced deportations

Every second deportee had previously committed a crime

6553 deportations took place in the first half of the year alone.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, BMI)

There is hardly any other topic on which there is such a high level of consensus in top politics, but also among Austrians, as on the topic of migration. Nevertheless, there are high hurdles to deportations. The "Krone" took a look at the problems and possible solutions.  

The figures from the Ministry of the Interior speak for themselves: every second asylum seeker who is forcibly deported in Austria has previously committed a criminal offense in this country.

As numerous submissions and our survey published on Sunday show, stricter rules are required here.

How deportations work

• As a rule, attempts are made to take people out of the country without coercive means.
• This results in lower costs because no "escort team" (at least 3 police officers, flight tickets for everyone, duty hours, possibly overnight accommodation, etc.) is needed.
• If the asylum seeker does not comply, they are taken into detention pending deportation and then deported by force.
• Deportations are carried out to the countries of origin and also to EU member states in which an asylum application has already been submitted. This very often concerns countries such as Romania and Bulgaria - as they are part of the "Balkan route".

The highest level of agreement was measured on the issue of migration, at 86%. Politically, too, it is no longer just the FPÖ and ÖVP who are calling for more frequent deportations and stricter enforcement. But what are the problems in the asylum system?

The "Krone" took a closer look at the issue:

• State pays for "start-up aid"
  First of all, it should be noted that not all deportations are the same. This is also clear from a response to an inquiry from the Ministry of the Interior to the "Krone". In the first six months of the year, 6553 asylum seekers were taken out of the country. A distinction must be made between deportations with (3473) and without (3080) coercive measures. "Of the 3080 deportations without coercive measures, 1809 were supported by the state," according to the ministry. A whopping 700,000 euros flowed from the state for "financial start-up aid", among other things. A fact that is not only viewed positively by the population. 
• Expert for earlier integration measures
  Lukas Gahleitner-Gertz, spokesperson for the Austrian Asylum Coordination, identifies problems with the integration policy, which he believes is legitimate because it has been chosen, but still needs to be revised. "People are left sitting in asylum accommodation for too long. In Tyrol, asylum seekers sometimes wait two years to be interviewed," he says. Specifically, he therefore calls for integration measures such as German courses to begin as early as the basic care stage. This requires "greater investment". "More deportations alone cannot be the solution. In addition to earlier integration measures, we also need more repatriation agreements," says the expert. 

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com | Quelle: Innenministerium)

• Deportations to Afghanistan possible again
  Of course, such agreements are not easy to achieve, especially with countries such as Afghanistan, where the Taliban rule. However, at least one legal hurdle has been overcome. It was only in July that the Constitutional Court ruled that deportations to Afghanistan were possible again in principle. Accordingly, the appeal of an asylum seeker was essentially dismissed on the grounds that the security situation had improved since the radical Islamic Taliban took power and that the man had a solid economic background. ÖVP Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) now wants to hold talks with other EU countries to find out how implementation could work. He has also instructed the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) to review further cases from Afghanistan. In reality, however, things remain complicated. As reported, there are still decisive hurdles and unanswered questions regarding the deportation of an accomplice in the Leonie case.
• Talks with neighboring countries
  Afghanistan's neighboring countries could help. Interior Minister Karner is holding bilateral talks with Afghanistan's neighboring countries to enable deportations via this route. The Ministry of the Interior has been working on a solution for 18 months. However, there have already been departures to Syria in recent years - even without coercion. Efforts are being made to improve relations with the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. 

New uncertainties are giving Austrians a lot to think about in general. The "Krone" newspaper therefore commissioned a survey to find out what concerns the country's citizens most. In addition to the topic of migration, education, the cost of living and the gender craze are also hot topics. In the coming weeks, you will be informed on krone.at and in the "Krone" about further outlines of problems and possible solutions.