The German government is paying foreign embassies to question more than 250,000 people living in Germany without a legal status for potential deportation. The people are largely those whose nationality is undetermined making them the best candidates, DW reports.
People living in the country illegally or have been denied papers are requested they come in for a sort of ‘meeting/ hearing’ and many end up in fear over the obvious. They face deportations in higher degrees.
These appointments are set up as embassy hearing and are taking place all over Germany determining the fate of many. The delegations from asylum applicants’ presumed countries of origin receive funding from Germany’s federal government with people from African countries are more frequent than not, affected.
In 2019 and 2020, more than 1,100 people from Nigeria and almost 370 people from Ghana were called in, followed by citizens of Gambia (146) and Guinea (126). Many more were summoned for interviews, as Germany’s government revealed following a formal information request from Ulla Jelpke, member of the Bundestag for the socialist Left party.
READ MORE: Germany sees sharp drop in asylum requests in 2020
According to the government. these hearings are both legal and necessary. “Hearings are an essential means for determining the nationality of persons obliged to leave the country,” a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry wrote in response to an inquiry from DW.
Read more information on German Laws and legislation here: Legal News and Guides – Germany
“Travel documents can only be issued once their nationality has been established. Hearings like these have been conducted on a legal basis in Germany for years, and their usefulness is proven.” She added that other EU countries use similar procedures
Hearings ‘nontransparent’
The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) estimates that in 2020 there were about 250,000 people living in Germany without legal residency status. When he took office as Interior Minister in 2018, Horst Seehofer promised to reduce this figure, and according to the DGAP about 22,000 people were deported in 2019.