Excerpt:
For most of Germany's federal states, fewer refugees have been deported and have voluntarily left the country this year compared to in 2016.
The survey, conducted by the German Press Agency (DPA), showed that the decline in deportations was particularly pronounced in Saxony, where the figure was halved each month for the first eleven months of the year compared to the same period in 2016.
Only two states, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, reported significantly more deportations this year than last year.
Almost 22,200 people in Germany were deported to their home countries between January and the end of last month, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Last year this figure was higher at a total of 25,400 people.