(FRANKFURT, GERMANY) Frankfurt Airport has recorded a sharp increase in the use of so‑called coercive measures during deportations, according to a new report that has turned one of Europe’s busiest hubs into a symbol of Germany’s tougher removal policy in 2025. The report found that such measures were used in 1,189 cases in the most recent reporting period, a 21.5% rise compared with the previous year.
What “coercive measures” means in practice
The figures relate to deportations carried out through Frankfurt Airport, which serves as one of Germany’s main hubs for removal flights. Officials use coercive measures when people resist being put on a plane or are considered a security risk during transfer to the aircraft.
The report says these actions can include physical restraint, forced removal, and “other forms of force” during the deportation process. Although the document does not spell out every type of action used on board or in the terminal, the term usually covers handcuffing, holding people down, or carrying them onto an aircraft against their will.
At Frankfurt Airport, these situations typically arise when a person:
– refuses to walk to the gate,
– struggles while being escorted, or
– resists boarding a deportation flight that will take them out of Germany.
Context: why the number is rising
The rise in such practices comes against the backdrop of a broader push to increase deportations from Germany in 2025. The report links the higher number of coercive measures directly to an overall surge in removals.
Authorities have:
– expanded detention powers, and
– relied more heavily on chartered deportation flights,
which often depart from Frankfurt Airport, making the facility a focal point for enforcement.
Human rights and civil society concerns
Human rights groups and many civil society organizations reacted with concern to the report’s findings. They argue that the greater use of force during deportations can cause both physical injuries and long‑term psychological damage.
Their worries are especially strong when coercive measures affect vulnerable people, such as:
– children,
– older adults, or
– people with serious medical conditions,
who may already be under heavy stress before a removal.
Advocates also warn that the environment at Frankfurt Airport during deportations is highly charged, with stressed passengers, federal police officers, airline staff, and sometimes medical teams all present. In that setting, they say, even routine deportations risk turning into tense confrontations once coercive measures are introduced.
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, similar patterns at other European airports have sparked debates over how much force states should use to carry out deportations in line with human rights standards.
Key takeaway: Rights groups call for limits, better documentation, and independent oversight to ensure any use of force is strictly necessary and accountable.
Structural issues highlighted by the report
The report goes beyond statistics and points to structural problems in Germany’s deportation system that feed into the increase in coercive measures.
Main criticisms include:
– Lack of transparency: It is often unclear who approves a particular action and how complaints can be reviewed after a difficult removal at Frankfurt Airport.
– Inadequate medical checks: Critics say pre‑flight screenings do not always properly assess whether a person is fit to fly, especially if force might be used.
– This is particularly sensitive when deportations involve people with heart conditions, mental health issues, or other serious illnesses.
– Medical professionals fear an increased risk of health emergencies during or after flights when coercive measures are applied.
Special concern: minors and vulnerable individuals
The treatment of minors and other vulnerable individuals stands out as one of the most sensitive points. Civil society organizations say that:
– children who witness parents being restrained, or who are themselves subjected to coercive measures, can suffer severe emotional harm.
– Frankfurt Airport, as a major deportation hub, should have far stronger safeguards whenever families, unaccompanied minors, or people with disabilities are involved.
Role of charter flights and enforcement policy
Germany’s push to expand deportations in 2025 is driven by stricter enforcement policies adopted at the federal level. While the report does not quote specific laws, it notes that authorities now rely more on expanded detention powers to hold people ahead of their removal.
This has two key effects:
1. It becomes easier to bring deportees to Frankfurt Airport in time for charter flights.
2. It increases the number of cases in which force might be used when people refuse to cooperate.
Charter flights often involve large groups sent to a single destination country. Compared with regular commercial flights, charter removals can raise the potential need for coercive measures because:
– there are more people on board who may not want to leave, and
– the logistics and scale concentrate enforcement activity at hubs like Frankfurt.
Calls for oversight and accountability
The report’s description of growing pressure at Frankfurt Airport raises broader questions about how Germany balances its duty to enforce final removal orders with its human rights obligations.
Groups that monitor deportations say:
– every use of coercive measures should be carefully documented and reviewed,
– force must be limited to what is strictly necessary, and
– independent monitoring is essential so incidents at the airport do not remain hidden from public view.
Federal authorities maintain that deportations must be carried out once all appeals are exhausted and that staff are trained to use force only as a last resort. Official guidance on removals is publicly available from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior at https://www.bmi.bund.de, which sets out the basic responsibilities of border police and other agencies involved.
However, the new figures from Frankfurt Airport are likely to intensify calls for closer checks on how those rules work in real situations.
Practical effects on people facing deportation
For people facing deportation, the report’s findings translate into a growing fear that any resistance at Frankfurt Airport could lead to physical restraint or other coercive measures.
Lawyers who work with rejected asylum seekers often advise clients about what to expect at the airport, warning that emotional reactions in the terminal or on the jet bridge can trigger a forceful response from security officers responsible for getting them onto the plane.
Broader implications and outlook
The debate around coercive measures at Frankfurt Airport is unlikely to fade quickly. With deportations on the rise in 2025, and with Germany seeking to speed up returns of those without legal status, the airport’s role will remain central.
The new report turns its departure halls, security gates, and tarmac into more than just travel infrastructure; they are now a testing ground for:
– how far a modern European democracy is willing to go in enforcing deportations, and
– at what human cost those enforcement measures are carried out.
The report shows 1,189 instances of coercive measures at Frankfurt Airport, a 21.5% increase tied to expanded detention powers and charter flights. Measures include restraint and forced removal, raising concerns from rights groups about physical and psychological harm, especially for minors and vulnerable people. Critics call for clearer medical checks, documentation and independent oversight. Authorities stress removals follow legal processes and claim force is a last resort, but transparency gaps persist.
