Germany Turns to U.S. Playbook: Deportations Target Gaza War Protesters (citizens of US, Poland, Ireland)

[Demovictory9]

Germany Turns to U.S. Playbook: Deportations Target Gaza War Protesters
Objections from a top immigration official that none of the protesters were convicted of crimes were overruled amid political pressure.


BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 13: German police intervene and detain pro-Palestinian demonstrators as pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather to protest Israeli attacks over Gaza, in Berlin, Germany on July 13, 2024. (Photo by Erbil Basay/Anadolu via Getty Images)


Berlin’s immigration authorities are moving to deport four young foreign residents on allegations related to participation in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, an unprecedented move that raises serious concerns over civil liberties in Germany.

The deportation orders, issued under German migration law, were made amid political pressure and over internal objections from the head of the state of Berlin’s immigration agency. The internal strife arose because three of those targeted for deportation are citizens of European Union member states who normally enjoy freedom of movement between E.U. countries.

The orders — issued by the state of Berlin, whose Senate administration oversees immigration enforcement — are set to take effect in less than a month. None of the four has been convicted of any crimes.

The cases are drawing comparisons to the U.S.’s use of deportation orders to suppress social movements.

“If someone is being expelled simply for their political beliefs, that’s a massive overreach.”
“What we’re seeing here is straight out of the far right’s playbook,” said Alexander Gorski, a lawyer representing two of the protesters. “You can see it in the U.S. and Germany, too: Political dissent is silenced by targeting the migration status of protesters.”

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/31/germany-gaza-protesters-deport/