Maybe they’re afraid of flying. Or maybe they are just throwing a tantrum.
Whatever the reason, Germany has elected to cancel hundreds of deportations because migrants refuse to take flights, government figures show.
The country, which has taken 1.5 million refugees since the start of 2015, is desperately trying to deport more rejected asylum seekers to ease pressure on authorities. The government plans to reach 100,000 deportations by the end of the year, but hundreds of refugees have managed to stay by stubbornly refusing to fly to their home countries.
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More than 330 deportations have been scrapped since January 2015, because the migrants have shouted, refused to fasten their seat belts, or told the pilot they are not traveling on their own free will, according to figures from Germany’s interior ministry.
Another 160 ordered deportations fell through because the airline refused to take them as passengers, and 108 escaped because they were sick.
Germany’s Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere called for new legislation in June to make deportations easier, as he revealed refugees commit crimes in order to extend their stay in the country.
“A massive rise in the number of deportees would only occur if these procedural shortcomings are fixed,” de Maiziere said in June, according to Deutsche Welle.
Deportations of convicted criminals are also posing a problem for authorities. A recent eviction of three refugees back to Guinea cost $138,000, because they were considered violent and had to travel on a chartered plane.
This report, by Jacob Bojesson, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.