Advancing Alternative Migration Governance Key Concepts in the EU Exit Regimes in Practice: Case Studies from the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Denmark (Deliverable 2.2) Barak Kalir, Martin Lemberg-Pedersen, Arja Oomkens, Janis Geschke, Markus González Beilfuss, Joan-Josep Vallbé, Oliver Joel Halpern & Wendelien Barkema 2021 This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 822625. The content reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. Publication information You are free to share and cite the material if you include proper reference. Suggested citation: Kalir, B., M. Lemberg-Pedersen, A. Oomkens, J. Geschke, M. González Beilfuss, J.J. Vallbé, O. Joel Halpern and W. Wendelien Barkema (2021) EU exit regimes in practice: case studies from the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Denmark, ADMIGOV Deliverable 2.2, Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam. Available at URL http://admigov.eu You may not use the material for commercial purposes. Acknowledgments This paper has been written by Barak Kalir, Martin Lemberg-Pedersen, Arja Oomkens, Janis Geschke, Markus González Beilfuss, Joan-Josep Vallbé, Oliver Joel Halpern and Wendelien Barkema. The deliverable has been reviewed by Jeroen Doomernik. The views presented are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the institutions with which they are affiliated. Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at: [email protected] Table of Content List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... 7 List of Tables .................................................................................................................................... 9 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 10 1.1. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 11 2. Dutch case study .................................................................................................................... 13 2.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 13 2.1.1. Case-study of the implementation of return policies in the Netherlands ................... 13 2.1.2. Institutions ................................................................................................................... 14 2.2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 18 2.3. Research findings ................................................................................................................ 19 2.3.1. Estimate of stock of irregular migrants in the Netherlands ....................................... 19 2.3.2. Voluntary return .......................................................................................................... 21 2.3.3. Forced exit and pre-removal detention ....................................................................... 26 2.3.4. Partnerships and cooperation ..................................................................................... 30 2.3.5. Overview of challenges ................................................................................................ 31 2.4. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 32 3. Spanish case study ................................................................................................................. 34 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 34 3.1.1. Assisted and Reintegration VRP (Social VRP) ............................................................... 40 3.1.2. Productive VRP ............................................................................................................ 41 3.1.3. Additional Support to the Down Payment of Unemployment Money ........................ 41 3.2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 42 3.3. Research findings ................................................................................................................ 44 3.3.1. Voluntary return .......................................................................................................... 44 3.3.2. Forced return ............................................................................................................... 46 3.4. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 48 4. German case study ................................................................................................................ 49 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 49 4.1.1. Exit System Hamburg ................................................................................................... 59 4.1.2. Exit System Hesse ........................................................................................................ 61 4.1.3. Exit system North Rhine-Westphalia ........................................................................... 62 4.1.4. Non-State Actors .......................................................................................................... 62 4.2. Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 63 4.2.1. Our interviewees ......................................................................................................... 63 4.2.2. Actors who refused to be interviewed for this study .................................................. 69 4.2.3. Methodology behind quantitative tables and visualizations....................................... 71 4.2.4. The impact of Covid-19 on fieldwork .......................................................................... 72 4.2.5. Terminology ................................................................................................................. 73 4.3. Research findings ................................................................................................................ 73 4.3.1. Employees of immigration offices ............................................................................... 73 4.3.2. Federal Office of Migration and Refugees (FOMR) ...................................................... 82 4.3.3. Problems articulated by both immigration offices and the FOMR .............................. 84 4.3.4. Matter expressed by civil society actors ...................................................................... 90 4.3.5. Problems expressed by an airline ................................................................................ 95 4.3.6. Problems expressed by local and federal police .......................................................... 98 4.3.7. Problems expressed by deportation monitors .......................................................... 108 4.3.8. Destinations, charters and operations in the evolving German Deportation System 114 4.3.9. Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 125 4.4. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 129 4.4.1. Accepting long-term migration and enhancing regularisations ................................ 129 4.4.2. Develop Alternatives to Detention ............................................................................ 130 4.4.3. Abolishing designated camps for sheltering potential deportees ............................. 131 4.4.4. Prioritizing voluntary return ...................................................................................... 131 4.4.5. Decrease number of involved actors, increase transparency and trainings .............. 131 4.4.6. Easier access to (disaggregated) data ........................................................................ 132 5. Danish case study ................................................................................................................ 133 5.1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 133 5.1.1. The Danish exit system and the EU ........................................................................... 133 5.1.2. The Danish exit infrastructure ................................................................................... 134 5.2. Methodology .................................................................................................................... 138 5.3. Research findings .............................................................................................................. 141 5.3.1. A systemic turn towards deportation ........................................................................ 141 5.3.2. Saltolog and the biometric control system