In the first half of 2025, deportations from Austria stabilized at the levels of the previous year, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced, quoted by Austrian Radio and Television. In six months, 6,554 people left the country, with nearly half of them, 3,366, doing so voluntarily, BTA reports.
“Thirty-five people have to leave Austria every day, this is a very good and decent balance“, Karner commented at a press conference. He stressed that the fight against traffickers remains a key priority.
According to him, the topic of deportations is often discussed through the prism of individual cases, while in reality it is about the daily work of the authorities. 3,188 people were forcibly returned, with about half of them being convicted criminals. The largest group among those deported are citizens of Slovakia, followed by Turkey, Hungary, Syria and Romania.
Regarding Syria, Karner said he supports voluntary departure, but is also prepared to resort to forced return in case of negative asylum decisions. Around 500 people have already returned of their own accord, with the highest number in July.
Yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights temporarily blocked the planned deportation of a Syrian from Austria. However, Karner assured that this policy would continue. The director of the Federal Office for Foreigners and Asylum, Gernot Maier, supported the minister, specifying that Syria is not a “safe country of origin”, but that does not make deportations impossible.
According to Maier, the reason for many Syrians to receive asylum (mobilization in Assad's army) has already disappeared after the change of power in December, and there is currently no forced military mobilization in the country.