Germany’s efforts to deport more illegal immigrants is hitting an operational and fiscal roadblock, as official figures show that voluntary departures are now outstripping state-executed deportations. Despite significant financial expenditure, almost 9,000 removal attempts failed in the first six months of the year alone.

The financial burden of these operations is highlighted by a number of incredibly expensive or aborted deportation operations. In May, a chartered flight from Leipzig to Pakistan carrying 33 individuals subject to departure — escorted by 75 federal police personnel — cost approximately €518,000.

The operation is now being referred to as “the most expensive group deportation flight in German history,” with funding provided by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex.

By contrast, German taxpayers directly absorbed the costs for two unassisted charter flights to Afghanistan in April and June, which each exceeded €300,000. Operations to various African nations, including Nigeria, regularly reached €400,000 per flight with Frontex support, while an additional €5.93 million went toward security personnel for repatriations.

In other words, even small-scale deportation efforts are leading to exploding costs. Deportation numbers are also now falling, according to government data released following a parliamentary inquiry by the Left Party. The report reveals that federal authorities executed 9,663 deportations between January and June, a decline of 18.2 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. During this same timeframe, nearly 9,000 planned deportations failed to occur.

https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article6a87dcc91c4720d41654671d/migration-deutlich-mehr-ausreisen-als-abschiebungen-charterflug-nach-pakistan-kostete-518-000-euro.html