The deportation of a six-member Yazidi family from Brandenburg to Iraq, occurring despite a prior ruling by the Potsdam Administrative Court suspending their deportation, has prompted strong calls for their immediate repatriation from opposition parties.
Clara Bünger, parliamentary group deputy chair of the Left party, told the “Tagesspiegel” newspaper that “Germany’s deportation frenzy must be stopped”. She argued that individuals who are victims of a recognized genocide deserve protection within Germany. “The Yazidi family must be brought back to Germany immediately. A nationwide moratorium on deportations for all Yazidis, combined with a permanent residency regulation guaranteeing their protection, is necessary” Bünger stated.
Marcel Emmerich, the Greens’ spokesperson for domestic policy, echoed these sentiments, describing the deportation as a “low point” for the involved officials. He criticized Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) and Hans-Eckhard Sommer, the president of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), suggesting they had lost their sense of human rights considerations. Emmerich called for Sommer to urgently provide clarification regarding accountability for the alleged “inhuman” deportation, emphasizing his personal responsibility to ensure the family’s return.
Michael Kellner, a Green Party Member of Parliament representing the Uckermark constituency where the family had resided since 2022, condemned the deportation as a “blatant violation of humanitarian principles”. Kellner urged both the federal and state governments to utilize all available means to facilitate the family’s return and grant them the residency rights previously awarded by the court.