Denmark Suspends Afghan Migrant Returns Until October 8

Denmark Suspends Afghan Migrant Returns Until October 8

MURMANSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2021) The Danish government has halted expulsions of rejected Afghan asylum seekers to their homeland over the security situation in the Central Asian state until October 8, Integration and Immigration Minister Mattias Tesfaye said on Thursday.

The decision came after the authorities received a notification from Kabul that Afghanistan was temporarily suspending reception of forcibly returned citizens amid the intensified fighting in the country.

"The decision of the Afghan government means that in practice we cannot forcibly deport [refugees] to Afghanistan until October 8 of this year, since a forced repatriation requires that the Afghan authorities are ready to accept a person deported at the border," Tesfaye was quoted as saying by the Danish Radio.

The latest repatriation to Afghanistan from Denmark was voluntary and took place on July 26. To date, 45 people are waiting for a decision on deportation.

The issue of deportations of Afghan refugees has become a matter of concern in the European Union owing to the possible rise of illegal immigration from the war-torn country in the future. While Kabul requested last month that EU nations not repatriate Afghan citizens for at least three months due to insecurity in the country, certain EU states initially opposed the initiative. However, on Wednesday, several member states, including Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland announced the halt of deportations.