Germany deported 43 Iraqi nationals to Baghdad on Tuesday in the first such flight since February, the German Interior Ministry confirmed.

The chartered flight departed from Leipzig Airport at 10:52 a.m. under strict security measures and arrived in the Iraqi capital, where the deportees underwent immigration procedures. Their final destinations within Iraq remain unclear.

Authorities in the German state of Thuringia reported that all 43 individuals were men with deportation orders, some of whom had criminal convictions. Fourteen had been residing in Thuringia, central Germany.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, known for his hardline stance on migration, stated that the deportation was part of a broader strategy to increase removals, negotiate return agreements with third countries, and crack down on human smuggling networks.

“This is a clear signal that those without a right to stay must leave,” Dobrindt told Bild newspaper.

According to official data, Germany has deported 816 Iraqi nationals in 2024, including 615 sent directly to Iraq and others transferred to different EU countries for asylum processing. The last deportation flight to Iraq took place in February, when 47 individuals were removed from Hanover.