A growing number of settlements are forced to establish reception centers because it is simply impossible to accommodate the large masses of migrants arriving in Austria. Criminal offences perpetrated by people staying in asylum centres increased by two hundred per cent in one federal state.

Last year, criminal acts committed by those staying in Austrian asylum homes increased by a dramatic 57.5 per cent across the country, data disclosed by the interior ministry reveals after the conservative, opposition Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) submitted an official request for information to the government.

Last year, 1,183 crimes committed by asylum seekers accommodated in such centres were registered, which is more than double the number registered in 2021. The list of criminal acts is extensive with many examples of document forgery, fraud, theft, rape, sexual abuse of children, bodily harm and murder.

The figures show a large geographical variation. While crimes committed in the capital of Vienna increased by a mere 10 per cent, there was a steep increase in other federal states, such as Upper Austria (75.9 per cent), Salzburg (139.5 per cent) and Styria (219.5 per cent). The criminal acts were typically perpetrated by young men, with the suspects aged over 40 only in 127 cases. Four criminal offences were committed by persons aged under 10, five by persons aged between 10 and 14, and 156 crimes by minors between the ages of 14 and 18.

The migration policy adopted by the governing parties is a total failure and these figures are once again a proof of that, FPO security spokesman Hannes Amesbauer responded after the disclosure of data. “However, this response to the inquiry refutes the common narrative that a large number of skilled workers would come to the Austrian labour market” he said. The government is trying to give the impression that attracting more immigrants to Austria is good for the economy. According to the FPO,

this crime potential is also a security risk for the population. Immigration, however, does not seem to stop: the number of arrivals in the first 5 months of this year is double the figure of 2018, when FPO President Herbert Kickl was interior minister.

In this context, Amesbauer again called for the rapid implementation of the FPO’s 23-point package of measures to make Austria less attractive for illegal immigrants:

„We finally need a consistent freeze of asylum admissions, real border protection and the legalisation of rejections at the border. The ‘welcome service’ of the OVP, SPO and Greens has failed and the Austrian population can’t reasonably be expected to tolerate it any longer,”

the conservative politician said. The FPO also called for the deportation of people illegally residing in Austria. Especially the deportations to Syria should be accelerated, as only 21 Syrian citizens were expelled from Austria last year.

The Austrian Ministry of the Interior keeps statistics on deportations only by nationality, not by country of destination. This can also be seen as an admission that the government does not know either the destination of deportations or the number of people deported to those countries.