Germany is planning to step up its deportations of Afghan and Syrian criminals as part of its ongoing crackdown of migration. Friedrich Merz’s government has made immigration control one of its key policies, as it sets to combat rising support for Alternative for Germany (AfD).

The far right party has exploited concerns over immigration to boost its support. It stunned Germany’s political establishment by winning 10.4% of the national vote and 83 seats in snap elections in February, to become the second biggest party in parliament. The AfD’s support continues to surge, with a poll in September showing that if new elections were held, the party would gain the most votes.

Desperate to regain the political initiative, the German chancellor has introduced a drastic clampdown on migrants. This has led to an uptick in the number of refugees being deported from Germany.

New figures show that in the first ten months ion this year, there has ben an 18% increase in deportations compared to the same period last year.

And now the government is intending to go further, targeting in particular Afghan and Syrian asylum seekers convicted of crimes.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told a CDU conference over the weekend that he is “currently working on organising regular deportation operations not only via charter flights, but also through scheduled commercial flights.”

He added: “We will continue discussions with Afghanistan and Syria and will ensure that these operations are carried out smoothly.”

The minister claimed that ordinary Germans expected no less of their government, which would not shirk its duties.

“We must significantly increase our readiness to proceed with deportations, taking into account the legitimate concerns of our citizens who do not want to see these criminal migrants again in their towns and cities,” he said.

The minister’s plans were slammed by the government’s critics, who called the move a “conspiracy”.

Wais Naseri, a political analyst based in Germany, said: “The deportation of Afghan migrants from Germany is a political phenomenon, a conspiracy, and a political manoeuvre.

“The claims made by the current German Interior Minister that certain individuals have broken the law, are criminals, or have been accused of crimes, are simply not accurate.”