EU Parliament Member Warns Against Deporting Afghan Refugees, Citing Strategic Risks
Hana Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, has warned that deporting Afghan refugees from European countries would not only be a humanitarian failure but also a strategic mistake for Europe. According to her, sending young people back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, amid widespread poverty and despair, could facilitate their recruitment into Taliban-affiliated structures.
In a post on the social network X, Neumann emphasized that such a process would likely serve to strengthen, rather than weaken, the Taliban administration. She stated that young men returned to Afghanistan might be forced to join Taliban-linked networks or religious schools to secure basic necessities like food and shelter.
The MEP believes that in some areas, these schools and networks provide not only ideological education but also essential living resources, which can create both economic and ideological dependency. She added that authoritarian regimes usually maintain their power through violence, social control, economic dependency, and enforced loyalty.
Addressing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Neumann wrote that “any coordinated return” of Afghan migrants could lead to an increase in the Taliban’s power and contribute internationally to normalizing and legitimizing this group.
This warning comes as the Taliban administration faces global criticism for severe restrictions on citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms, especially those of women and girls. Critics argue that any policy implemented without considering security and social consequences could strengthen extremist structures in Afghanistan.
Neumann concluded by stressing that such an approach neither improves Afghanistan’s security nor contributes to regional stability but is likely to reinforce the extremist and governing structures of the Taliban administration.
