Investigations against several Afghans who have entered the country

The federal police are investigating several Afghans who entered the country on Wednesday with a promise of admission. According to the German Press Agency, the investigation is mainly concerned with forged or falsified documents. "We can confirm that the particularly vulnerable people from Afghanistan who arrived yesterday from Pakistan have been subjected to entry checks and investigations have been initiated," a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told Bild, which had reported on the matter.

Security checks before entry

This can happen even though federal police officers generally check people in the country of departure - in this case Pakistan. The so-called document and visa advisors noted any anomalies in the file for the visa procedure.

The plane with 138 Afghans who had been granted asylum had landed at Leipzig/Halle Airport. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, 45 of the arrivals are children and young people. 76 people were female, 62 male.

Entry not ruled out despite discrepancies

According to security sources, passengers on all flight connections from third countries are checked again by the federal police when entering Germany, even on a charter plane. It is possible that the officers may encounter the same discrepancies here as their colleagues in the country of departure.

If they suspect a criminal offense, they initiate an investigation. This does not necessarily mean that admission is refused. However, six people were removed from the final list before departure because there were questions about their documents.

Next government wants to end programs

Germany is taking in Afghans via several programs. Until shortly before the Islamist Taliban seized power again in August 2021, Germany was present in the country with soldiers as part of a NATO mission. In addition to former local members of the Bundeswehr and other German institutions and their families, Afghans who fear persecution by the Taliban are also to be admitted. This may be the case because they have campaigned for human rights as lawyers or journalists in the past.

The planned government of the CDU, CSU and SPD wants to end such voluntary admission programs as far as possible. However, there are still flights under the outgoing red-green government. "In these cases, Germany has already made concrete commitments to accept refugees in the past," a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior emphasized. No new promises would be made.