A serial criminal deported from Germany back to Afghanistan has claimed he is now “free” and has the respect and support he needs to thrive upon his return home.
Abdul F. spoke with RTL Extra about his deportation and how he had managed to reintegrate himself back into Afghan society successfully.
During his 30 years in Germany, the Afghan national managed to accumulate 166 entries on the police crime database resulting in 27 convictions.
He served 12 years in prison in Baden-Württemberg before his deportation in August 2024.
He now runs a small business in Kabul and claims, “It was a stroke of luck that I returned to my country.”
“It is much safer than before. In my view, you can also develop here. If you have ideas, you will be supported, especially by family,” Abdul F. explained in an interview with Focus. This familial support has been a crucial factor in his successful reintegration.
He also noted the noticeable improvements in security, saying, “Today, I can leave the door to my shop open, and nobody steals anything.”
Reflecting on his past, Abdul F. expressed that his life in Germany left him feeling disillusioned. “I was nobody in Germany, but here in my country, I am someone. I know a lot, and people respect me,” he said.
More than anything, he values the freedom he now experiences. “Here, I can make my own decisions. I am free,” he emphasized, contrasting this with his feelings in Germany, where he never felt the same level of independence. When asked if he misses his old life, he responded definitively: “Not at all.”
Abdul’s deportation, however, has very much been the exception rather than the rule in Germany. At the time of his expulsion, Germany had deported just 28 Afghan criminals back to their homeland since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
German government spokesman Stefan Hebestreit praised their returns at the time, saying, “These were Afghan nationals, all of whom were convicted criminals who had no right to stay in Germany and against whom deportation orders had been issued.”
The figure pales in comparison to the number of people who remain in Germany despite their criminal records. In fact, the federal government has recommenced flights for Afghans residing at a German-managed reception center in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad since the election, despite pausing flights ahead of the vote over fears of handing greater support to the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Approximately 3,000 Afghans currently waiting at reception centers in Islamabad are expected to be transported to Germany in the coming weeks, despite previously raised concerns about security risks.
In 2021, then-Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer (CSU) revealed that at least 20 of the Afghans evacuated by the Bundeswehr had failed security screenings. Among them were convicted rapists and individuals previously deported from Germany due to security concerns. Reports also indicated that some evacuees had ties to counter-terrorism watchlists.
Similarly, other failed asylum seekers who made their way to Germany from Afghanistan have evaded deportation either through legal challenges or the lack of political will to implement a comprehensive immigration policy.
One such example from January of this year involved a 20-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who was deemed so dangerous that he requires round-the-clock private security at a cost to German taxpayers of an estimated €40,000 per month.
The migrant, whose asylum application has already been rejected, has a history of violent outbursts and religiously motivated threats against fellow refugees.
Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz promised radical changes to Germany’s immigration policies during the recent election campaign. However, after it emerged his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party could form a “Grand Coalition” with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and avoid negotiations with the AfD, his tone changed considerably, telling press within 24 hours of the vote that no one had any desire to close the borders.
🇩🇪‼️ Is this the quickest U-turn in political history?
After the CDU campaigned on strict immigration measures to take votes away from the AfD, chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz told a press conference the day after the election that "none of us want to close the borders."… pic.twitter.com/Ngxt98ag3r
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) February 24, 2025
