- Title: Number of migrants leaving Germany voluntarily rises in 2016
- Date: 28th December 2016
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (DECEMBER 28, 2016) (REUTERS) SPOKESPEOPLE FOR GERMANY'S DIFFERENT GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES SEATED ON PODIUM FOR ROUTINE TRI-WEEKLY NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERA HARALD NEYMANNS, SPOKESMAN FOR INTERIOR MINISTER THOMAS DE MAIZIERE, LISTENING TO REPORTER'S QUESTION REPORTER TYPING (SOUNDBITE) (German) INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, HARALD NEYMANNS, SAYING: "It's clear that an increase from 35,000 to 54,000 this year is a considerable increase. The increase is welcome. We have a larger number of asylum seekers which also means a larger number of turned down asylum applications. It's always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported. Deportation is always only the last resort to return asylum seekers to their home country." WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE REPORTER'S MOBILE PHONE WIDE OF PODIUM
- Embargoed: 12th January 2017 14:23
- Keywords: Germany migrants deportation departure increase
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015ESPSG7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Nearly 55,000 migrants who were not eligible for or were likely to be denied asylum left Germany voluntarily in 2016, up by 20,000 from the number who left of their own volition in 2015, the government said on Wednesday (December 28).
"That's a considerable increase from last year," Interior Ministry spokesman Harald Neymanns told a news conference, saying the 2016 figure had climbed to 54,123 through Dec. 27. "The increase is welcome. It's always preferable when people leave the country voluntarily instead of being deported."
Germany has toughened its stance on immigration in recent months, prompted by concerns about security and integration after admitting more than 1.1 million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere since early 2015. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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