New figures obtained by the Schwäbische Zeitung show that the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg removed 1,046 convicted offenders in 2025—up 42 percent on the previous year and the highest number since records began. Overall, 3,397 people were deported from the state last year (2024: 2,873), with most sent to Georgia, North Macedonia, Turkey, Kosovo, Gambia and Serbia. Justice Minister Marion Gentges (CDU) hailed the statistics as proof that the state is “focusing on those who break our laws”, dismissing criticism that well-integrated migrants are being targeted.
The surge aligns with the federal government’s ‘Migrationswende’ strategy, which prioritises returns of criminals and failed asylum seekers while tightening external borders. Baden-Württemberg has expanded specialised return units, increased detention-capacity contracts with airlines, and fast-tracked identity verification using biometric data.
For employers, the data underscore a less tolerant environment for third-country nationals who run afoul of the law. HR and mobility teams should reinforce compliance training and ensure that disciplinary cases involving foreign staff trigger immediate immigration-status reviews. Companies that rely on talent from Georgia or the Western Balkans—regions now designated “safe countries of origin”—will find removals executed more swiftly if residence permits lapse.
![Baden-Württemberg records all-time high in criminal deportations as federal ‘migration turnaround’ gathers pace]()
Amid this stricter enforcement climate, VisaHQ can help companies and foreign employees stay compliant by streamlining visa renewals, residence-permit applications and document checks. Its dedicated Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers real-time guidance and digital tools that allow HR teams to audit immigration statuses and initiate extensions well before deadlines, reducing the risk of inadvertent overstays and subsequent removal.
NGOs warn that the rapid pace of removals risks procedural errors and family separations, while business associations stress that skilled-worker shortages will persist unless deportations are balanced with streamlined work-permit channels. The state government counters that effective enforcement is a prerequisite for public acceptance of legal labour migration and the new Skilled Immigration Act.
With other Länder expected to publish 2025 deportation tallies in the coming weeks, mobility professionals should monitor regional variations, update risk matrices, and brief relocating employees—especially those on probationary residence titles—about heightened removal activity.
The surge aligns with the federal government’s ‘Migrationswende’ strategy, which prioritises returns of criminals and failed asylum seekers while tightening external borders. Baden-Württemberg has expanded specialised return units, increased detention-capacity contracts with airlines, and fast-tracked identity verification using biometric data.
For employers, the data underscore a less tolerant environment for third-country nationals who run afoul of the law. HR and mobility teams should reinforce compliance training and ensure that disciplinary cases involving foreign staff trigger immediate immigration-status reviews. Companies that rely on talent from Georgia or the Western Balkans—regions now designated “safe countries of origin”—will find removals executed more swiftly if residence permits lapse.
Amid this stricter enforcement climate, VisaHQ can help companies and foreign employees stay compliant by streamlining visa renewals, residence-permit applications and document checks. Its dedicated Germany portal (https://www.visahq.com/germany/) offers real-time guidance and digital tools that allow HR teams to audit immigration statuses and initiate extensions well before deadlines, reducing the risk of inadvertent overstays and subsequent removal.
NGOs warn that the rapid pace of removals risks procedural errors and family separations, while business associations stress that skilled-worker shortages will persist unless deportations are balanced with streamlined work-permit channels. The state government counters that effective enforcement is a prerequisite for public acceptance of legal labour migration and the new Skilled Immigration Act.
With other Länder expected to publish 2025 deportation tallies in the coming weeks, mobility professionals should monitor regional variations, update risk matrices, and brief relocating employees—especially those on probationary residence titles—about heightened removal activity.
