BERLIN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan community in Germany has grown rapidly due to a slowdown in deportations of asylum seekers who come from the war-torn country, Welt newspaper reported Wednesday referencing figures from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
The number of Afghan nationals registered in Germany increased fivefold to a total of 253,000 between 2010 and 2016. Nearly all of those entered the country as asylum seekers during the refugee crisis, with 7,369 new arrivals registered this year so far.
As nearly every second application for asylum was rejected, however, the rapid growth in the Afghan population in Germany is tied to the German government's inability to deport individuals in light of Afghanistan's deteriorating security situation.
Authorities recorded 3,300 voluntary state-subsidized repatriations to the country in 2016. The number is set to be lower this year and currently stands at 800 departures in the first six months of 2017, according to a ministry spokesperson.
A total of 324 individuals were deported against their will in 2016, compared to 261 in the first half of 2017. Between 2013 and 2015, less than ten Afghans were deported from Germany each year with official bilateral cooperation on repatriation only commencing in October 2016.
While Berlin and Kabul have since agreed on regulations which enable collective deportations, the new measures have yet to be applied for more than five flights carrying 106 individuals.
German authorities announced in August they were only deporting convicted criminals and terror suspects to Afghanistan, confirming an unofficial policy which had been in place since the German embassy in Kabul became the target of a bombing in May.
According to Welt, many Afghan refugees whose asylum applications had failed still had the possibility to remain in Germany. Despite being duty bound to leave, Afghan nationals are still allowed to work in Germany and apply for permanent residence after three years in the country.
Additionally, Afghan refugees often brought their families and children to Germany, making it less likely for them to be deported.
