Latest news with #BAMF
Local Germany
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
Germany to follow Austria and deport convicted Syrians
The ministry had instructed the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) to take action against "dangerous Syrian individuals and delinquents", a spokesman told AFP, confirming a report appearing in the Sunday edition of Welt newspaper. The spokesman stressed that committing serious crimes meant one was excluded from the protection afforded by asylum and could lead to the revocation of any such status already granted. An agreement reached by the coalition made up of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats provided for deportations to Afghanistan and Syria "starting with delinquents and people considered a threat," the spokesman added. To that end the ministry was in contact with the relevant Syrian authorities, he said. Between January and May, the BAMF has opened more than 3,500 procedures that could lead to the revocation of asylum rights granted to Syrian nationals, the ministry said in an answer to a question in parliament. Refugee status had been withdrawn in 57 cases and lower-level protection in 22 other cases, said the ministry. During the same period, around 800 Syrians have returned home as part of a voluntary repatriation programme funded by Germany, to which 2,000 have so far signed up. READ ALSO: How German media reveals its bias when foreigners commit crimes Around a million Syrians live in Germany, most of whom arrived during the major exodus between 2015 and 2016. Advertisement But since the December 2024 fall of president Bashar al-Assad, several European countries, including Austria and Germany, have suspended asylum procedures as far-right parties have campaigned on the issue. Austria's interior ministry on Thursday deported a Syrian criminal convict back to Syria, saying it was the first EU country to do so officially "in recent years". Germany has in recent months suffered several deadly attacks by jihadists using bladed weapons as well as far-right violence, which has pushed the issue of security up the political agenda.
Al-Ahram Weekly
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Germany to follow Austria and deport convicted Syrians - International
Germany is to start deporting Syrians with criminal records, the interior ministry said Saturday, days after Austria became the first EU country to do so in recent years. The ministry had instructed the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) to take action against "dangerous Syrian individuals and delinquents", a spokesman told AFP, confirming a report appearing in the Sunday edition of Welt newspaper. The spokesman stressed that committing serious crimes meant one was excluded from the protection afforded by asylum and could lead to the revocation of any such status already granted. An agreement reached by the coalition made up of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats provided for deportations to Afghanistan and Syria "starting with delinquents and people considered a threat," the spokesman added. To that end the ministry was in contact with the relevant Syrian authorities, he said. Between January and May, the BAMF has opened more than 3,500 procedures that could lead to the revocation of asylum rights granted to Syrian nationals, the ministry said in an answer to a question in parliament. Refugee status had been withdrawn in 57 cases and lower-level protection in 22 other cases, said the ministry. During the same period, around 800 Syrians have returned home as part of a voluntary repatriation programme funded by Germany, to which 2,000 have so far signed up. Around a million Syrians live in Germany, most of whom arrived during the major exodus between 2015 and 2016. But since the December 2024 fall of president Bashar al-Assad, several European countries, including Austria and Germany, have suspended asylum procedures as far-right parties have campaigned on the issue. Austria's interior ministry on Thursday deported a Syrian criminal convict back to Syria, saying it was the first EU country to do so officially "in recent years". Germany has in recent months suffered several deadly attacks by jihadists using bladed weapons as well as far-right violence, which has pushed the issue of security up the political agenda. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
See - Sada Elbalad
05-07-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Germany Sees 50% Drop in Asylum Applications
Israa Farhan Germany has recorded a sharp decline in asylum applications during the first six months of 2025, with figures showing a 50% drop compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). The agency reported that 61,336 individuals submitted first-time asylum requests between January and June this year, marking a significant downturn in migration pressures on the country's asylum system. The sharp reduction is attributed to a combination of stricter migration control measures and evolving geopolitical dynamics. One key factor cited is the coordinated action taken by several Balkan states to curb irregular migration flows toward the European Union. These efforts, coupled with stepped-up stationary border checks introduced by Berlin along Germany's land borders, have contributed to the decline. Additionally, changing conditions in Syria since early December 2024 have influenced the migration trends, further reducing the number of people seeking protection in Germany. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
Jordan News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Germany Starts Procedures to Revoke Residency from Hundreds of Syrians After Visits to Their Homeland - Jordan News
German authorities have opened cases for over 2,000 refugees, including hundreds of Syrians, as part of a process to revoke their residency permits after it was revealed they had visited their home countries in recent months. The government considers these visits as evidence that the refugees no longer need protection. اضافة اعلان According to the current rules in Germany, a refugee's protection status is revoked if they travel to their home country, with exceptions only for "compelling humanitarian reasons," such as the serious illness or death of a family member. Additionally, refugees must inform immigration authorities about their travel in advance. After a stabbing attack by a Syrian refugee in the city of Solingen last year, which resulted in the deaths of three people, the previous German government, under a security package, agreed that individuals granted asylum would lose their protection status if they traveled to their home countries. More Than 700 Syrian Refugees Visited Their Home Country In response to an inquiry from the German newspaper "Welt," the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) confirmed on Thursday that it had opened 2,157 procedures to review the protection status of refugees who traveled to their home countries between November 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Among the refugees who visited their home countries during this period, Iraq topped the list with 762 cases, followed by Syria with 734 cases, Afghanistan (240), Iran (115), and Turkey (31), according to a spokesperson from BAMF. The spokesperson explained that as soon as the office learns of a refugee traveling to their home country, they begin a "review case" to document the situation. However, the actual processing of these cases for Syria is currently suspended, with a temporary delay in the procedures for Syria. In general, protection may be reviewed and revoked for various reasons, such as improvements in security conditions in the country of origin or the commission of serious crimes by the refugee. Exceptional Plans for Syrians Under Strict Conditions On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the German Ministry of the Interior in Berlin announced that the government intends to temporarily allow Syrian refugees to visit their homeland without losing their protection status in Germany, provided that these visits meet "strict conditions" and serve as "preparations for permanent return" to Syria. The Ministry of the Interior, which is still led by the Social Democratic Party, aims to give Syrians the opportunity to make a decision about voluntary return. The spokesperson clarified that "to do so, individuals must be able to gain insight into the situation in their home country, for example, to see if their homes are still standing or if their relatives are still alive." The spokesperson emphasized that these trips must be registered with the relevant foreign authorities in advance and should be "exclusively for the purpose of preparing for voluntary return." The plan is still under coordination with the federal states in Germany, and a start date for its implementation has not yet been determined. Government Coalition Partner Rejects the Plan However, the Christian Social Union (CSU), which is expected to take over the Ministry of the Interior in the new coalition government next month, strongly criticized these plans. Bavaria's Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann, announced his opposition to "allowing holiday trips disguised as exploratory visits." In a letter to the current Federal Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser (from the Social Democratic Party), Herrmann (from the Christian Social Union) expressed concerns about "an uncontrollable movement of travel between Syria and Germany," arguing that the plans are incompatible with federal laws that stipulate the revocation of protection status if a refugee returns to their home country. He called for a joint European solution and rejected what he called "unilateral national actions." He also pointed out that "the issue of granting social benefits during such trips has not been resolved, and there is a risk of creating the impression that the state is funding these trips." The Christian Social Union is set to take over the Ministry of the Interior in the upcoming German government, based on the coalition agreement between the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union and the Social Democratic Party. The new coalition seeks to tighten asylum policies, including increasing deportations to Syria, starting with criminals and individuals categorized as security threats. How Many Syrians Are Returning Voluntarily? Meanwhile, the German Ministry of the Interior reported that 464 Syrian refugees have voluntarily returned to their home country since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, with financial support from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Since 2017, federal states have announced programs to support voluntary returns to Syria, and in 2024, 87 Syrians returned through this program, with 31 so far in 2025, according to the RND news network. According to the Federal Office, the financial support covers travel expenses, financial assistance to start anew, and medical costs if needed. Each family can receive up to 4,000 euros in initial assistance. This financial support is part of the office's strategy to reduce the number of Syrian refugees in Germany. Since the fall of the Assad regime, many Syrian refugees have been waiting for the German government's promises to allow them to visit their home country without losing their asylum status. Many aspire to return to Syria for a short period to check on their families or assess the situation in their homeland.
Euronews
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
From surveillance to automation: How AI tech is being used at European borders
ADVERTISEMENT As EU leaders said in Brussels this week that they need to keep exploring new ways to curb irregular migration, experts are calling for more attention to be drawn to how programmes backed by artificial intelligence (AI) and automated surveillance could be used at Europe's borders. Experts told Euronews Next that 12 EU states are either testing automated border control systems or AI-powered systems at borders. Derya Ozkul, an associate professor at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, said little is known about how these technologies will impact the rights of migrants. 'Migrants are being kind of used as guinea pigs really in this area,' Ozkul said in an interview. 'All of the glitches with the systems, all of the possible problems and so on are all become faults for migrants to deal with, and there's not really much accountability'. Related Europe at the crossroads: Euronews launches special EU summit show What AI tech is already in place at the EU's borders? Where AI is already integrated or being tested along some of the EU's borders is mostly as processing support for asylum seekers, Ozkul said. One AI tool that Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) uses is an automated language and dialect recognition software to help officials corroborate a migrant's country of origin without official documents based on a two minute voice recording. Related EU asylum requests down by 11% in 2024, but still exceed one million A statement from BAMF to Euronews Next said the software recognises five major Arabic dialects: Egyptian, Gulf, Iraqi, Levantine, and Maghrebi and could be expanded to more in the future. The tool is a way of verifying the information that a claimant would provide during their hearing but is only used 'in special cases… when appropriate,' the department said. The department said dialect recognition was used in 43,593 cases in 2023 of the 334,000 applications it received that year. AI is also used by border officials to help them recognise 'security-relevant facts' in asylum hearings, the government said. Decision-makers can then edit, supplement, or discard the information flagged by the AI, so the 'human decides, not the AI'. The AI simplifies the reporting process for decision-makers who say it can be difficult to identify security information during these hearings, BAMF continued. '[Migrants] usually have no idea how the system is processing their application, and they have no say in the process." Derya Ozkul Associate Professor, University of Warwick Ozkul said migrants are often not aware that their asylum cases will be processed using automation or AI. '[Migrants] usually have no idea how the system is processing their application, and they have no say in the process,' Ozkul said. 'They may not be able to reject the outcome because, again, they don't have as many rights as citizens would,' she added. ADVERTISEMENT What AI opportunities has the EU identified? The EU has already invested in some AI-based projects throughout the bloc. One of them is Centaurus, a project in Greek detention facilities like those along the Evros River that enables CCTV cameras with behavioural analysis algorithms that detect illegal behaviour by groups and uses drones to assess migrant behaviour in the facilities 'without human intervention'. The bloc has also invested in Hyperion, a second system that uses biometric fingerprint data to make it easier to enter and exit detention facilities. Maria Gavouneli, president of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, an independent advisory body to the government, called it a 'major surveillance exercise that is coordinated [and] financed by the European Union'. ADVERTISEMENT 'The major issue that we are going to be confronted with is questions of transparency, questions of accountability." Maria Gavouneli President, Greek National Commission for Human Rights Gavouneli said that most of the surveillance technologies being used at Evros can also be used for national defence, something that will 'be intensified' in the coming years. 'The major issue that we are going to be confronted with is questions of transparency, questions of accountability,' Gavouneli said. The EU has also invested in some AI-supported projects to detect migrant smuggling, like the COMPASS2020 project, which saw patrol vessels autonomously launch underwater drones to boost their surveillance range. Related Has Europe politicised the right to asylum? | Radio Schuman Another, the PROMENADE project , uses AI to improve maritime surveillance and data analysis around 370 kilometres from the coastline. ADVERTISEMENT There's also a possibility that the bloc expands AI use at borders in the near future, with a few key areas identified in a 2020 white paper . Automated fingerprint and face recognition, AI-generated emotion detection, migrant risk assessments with algorithms, and AI monitoring of trends are a few key areas of interest, the report found.
