Austria deports 11 asylum seekers to Croatia under the Dublin procedure
The Austrian Interior Ministry announced a new deportation operation involving 11 asylum seekers who were transported out of the country via a special flight under the Dublin system, in a move that confirms the continued tightening of asylum policy in Austria, according to the Austrian Press Agency (APA ).
According to the details, the deportation was carried out on Monday via what are known as “Dublin-Charter” flights, in which 11 people, including 6 men and 5 women, were transported to the country where they first applied for asylum, which is the country legally responsible for processing their files, and in this case the destination was Croatia.
The data indicates that the deported individuals belong to several nationalities, with the group including 8 people from Russia, in addition to one person each from Afghanistan, Morocco and Pakistan, which reflects the diversity of cases covered by deportation procedures within the European Dublin system.
In an official statement, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stressed that this approach would continue, emphasizing that deportations are an essential part of a strict and fair asylum policy, and noting that the latest measures come in the context of the government’s move to tighten immigration laws.
This policy is based on the recent package of amendments approved by the government, most notably the European Pact on Asylum and Migration, which aims to significantly reduce irregular migration, with a focus on speeding up procedures and returning people who do not have the right to stay.
Official figures show a clear trend towards increased deportations, with 2,270 deportations recorded during January and February 2026, compared to only 768 new asylum applications during the same period, reflecting a policy based on reducing the number of arrivals and strengthening repatriation operations.
The Interior Ministry confirmed that priority in these procedures is given to people convicted of crimes, as well as to people who do not have the right to reside, within the framework of a policy aimed at reducing pressure on state systems, especially in the areas of education and integration.
Through these measures, the government seeks to push irregular migration towards near-zero levels, through a set of integrated measures that include deportation, tightening laws, and strengthening border control, which reflects a clear shift towards a stricter approach to managing asylum in Austria.