KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A German member of the European Parliament has sharply criticized the deportation of Afghan asylum seekers to Afghanistan, calling it not only a humanitarian failure but a “strategic mistake” that could inadvertently strengthen the Taliban’s grip on power.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Hannah Neumann warned that sending young Afghan men back to Afghanistan’s conditions of poverty and hopelessness risks pushing them toward Taliban-linked networks and religious schools, which offer basic shelter, food, and social support.
“This is how authoritarian systems hold power,” Neumann wrote. “Not only through violence, but through dependency, social control, and enforced loyalty.”
The EU lawmaker, who has repeatedly spoken out on Afghanistan and human rights issues, argued that deportations would not weaken the Taliban but instead strengthen the structures that have helped the group remain in power since returning to control of Afghanistan in 2021.
Addressing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz directly, Neumann stated that every “coordinated return” of Afghan migrants enhances Taliban power, helps normalize and legitimize the group on the international stage, and reinforces radical networks inside Afghanistan.
The comments come amid a heated debate across Europe over migration policy, especially in Germany and several other EU countries facing pressure to return rejected asylum seekers — particularly those with criminal convictions. Germany stands out as the only EU member state currently conducting deportations in direct coordination with the Taliban authorities.
Over recent months German officials have organized multiple charter flights to Kabul, returning dozens of convicted Afghan men. In a major operation in mid-2025, authorities deported 81 convicted individuals via flights coordinated through Qatar.
European countries have also increased technical contacts with the Taliban in recent months to discuss migration and deportation arrangements. Agence France-Presse reported that a Taliban technical delegation would travel to Brussels and meet officials from the European Commission in the coming weeks.
The European Commission has not confirmed an invitation to the Taliban but said technical contacts with the group had taken place.
Human rights organizations and U.N. officials have repeatedly criticized forced returns to Afghanistan, warning that deportees may face persecution, arbitrary detention, or abuse under Taliban rule.
Last year, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described forced returns to Afghanistan as generating a “multi-layered human rights crisis.” He urged European governments to immediately halt such returns, particularly for individuals at risk of persecution, arbitrary detention, or torture.
