Overview

• German federal deportations increased by more than 25% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, following over 20,000 expulsions in 2024.
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern carried out just 152 removals in H1 2025, down from 380 in 2024 and bucking the national upward trajectory.
• Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and five European counterparts endorsed tougher return policies to bolster confidence in cross-border repatriations.
• AfD Bundestag member Leif-Erik Holm criticized the current deportation rate as insufficient and urged the establishment of dedicated removal centres to prevent absconding.
• SPD’s Christian Pegel had highlighted a near-doubling of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s expulsions in 2024, underscoring the significance of this year’s reversal.