Refugee Council criticizes deportation of Iraqi family

The Saxon Refugee Council criticizes the deportation of an Iraqi family and demands a fundamental rethink from the responsible authorities. "Anyone who arrives as a family, then tries to find work and takes on social responsibility must not be sent back to a crisis area," the Council emphasized in a statement on the latest case, which took place in Gröditz. The life achievements and integration of those affected must be acknowledged. A response from the immigration authorities of the Meißen district was still pending by the afternoon.

Family is said to have been well integrated

According to the Refugee Council, the family was torn from their sleep on Tuesday night and deported to Baghdad. "The family had been living in Germany since 2021, was firmly rooted in the community and was in the middle of working and educational life. The father volunteered on Sundays at the Riesa retirement home," it said. The 21-year-old son, who has a valid tolerated stay permit for education, was separated from his family by the police. His father, mother and 13-year-old brother were deported as part of a collective deportation.

According to the Refugee Council, the family had only wanted to apply to the Immigration Office on September 2 for a work permit for the father. However, the application was not accepted as the case worker had questioned the father's German language skills. The father worked in a hairdressing salon and served customers in German every day. The authorities did not respond to a new written application on September 4.

"The Basic Law protects families to a special degree, but people with tolerated status are obviously being excluded here. The deportation is a sad symbol of a time full of agitation against refugees, in which their individual achievements hardly receive any recognition," emphasized Dave Schmidtke from the Refugee Council.