The deportation of an Afghan family to India during the Hessian Easter holidays has ignited controversy in Frankfurt. The family includes two sons,ages 16 and 12,who attended the Johanna-Tesch School. The Volt party in Frankfurt voiced their concerns on Thursday, highlighting the impact of deporting children from local schools.

Tiara Engel, a Volt Frankfurt party member, stated, “When children who go to school, or young peopel in training, which are so lasting and have future plans, are deported, you can see the arbitrariness of our deportation system.” She added that deportations shoudl only be considered as a last resort due to their severe impact on the lives of those affected.

The Frankfurt party has also criticized the practice of police conducting deportations at sensitive locations like schools and other protected institutions, or during routine appointments. According to the Central Council of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs EV, the deported family was summoned to the Frankfurt immigration office on April 16 for what they believed was a routine appointment.

The family had been in Germany as 2018, regularly renewing their temporary residence permits. The Central Council of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs EV reports that the family was given little notice before being forced to leave by the police, leaving them no chance to say goodbye, organize their belongings, or seek legal counsel.

India, the country to which they were deported, is reportedly unfamiliar to the family, with no existing social networks or cultural connections. The Central Council has launched a petition seeking the family’s return to Germany, which has garnered approximately 510 signatures as of June 5, with a goal of 30,000.

In late May, classmates of the deported children organized a presentation against their forced removal. Over 300 participants marched from Bockenheimer to the old opera house, advocating for a halt to the deportation of children, adolescents, and young adults. The “Frankfurter Rundschau” previously covered the demonstration.

According to Volt, these actions erode trust in institutions like the police and create fear. tim Englert,a Volt representative on the city’s youth welfare committee,argues that such deportations discourage people from attending appointments with government offices or fulfilling their compulsory schooling obligations.

The youth welfare committee is set to develop a position paper addressing the deportation of frankfurt students. The volt faction has also requested the magistrate to clarify the extent of coordination among urban offices before individuals visiting Frankfurt facilities are deported.

Deportations in Hesse are on the rise. The Hessian Ministry of the Interior reports that 566 people were deported in the first three months of 2025, a 45 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

“When children who go to school…are deported, you can see the arbitrariness of our deportation system.”