informed at the police station, the only reason why deportees are locked up is because there is an insufficient number of staff available to supervise them. 1.2.8 – Mobile phones During the deportation measure observed at Leipzig/Halle Airport, deportees’ mobile phones were taken from them upon arrival at the airport and withheld until they arrived in their country of destination. In cases involving a deprivation of liberty, a judicial order is required pursuant to Article 104 (2) of the German Basic Law. According to information provided by the station, judicial orders were not obtained for the deprivations of liberty that had taken place. Thus, the practice in question was an unlawful deprivation of liberty that must be remedied as a matter of urgency. During a deportation flight departing from Munich airport last year, the National Agency observed that all deportees did not have to surrender their mobile phones for the duration of the flight until shortly before boarding. This meant that the deportees were able to independently contact their relatives or legal counsel while waiting at the gate. Police officers at Munich Airport emphasised that this approach served to de-escalate the situation and that there were no security concerns. The National Agency was informed of a similar approach at Frankfurt Airport. Here, a deportee reported that on the morning of his scheduled deportation – which did not take place until late in the evening – he had been collected from his apartment by the Hesse Land Police and initially taken into the custody of the Land Police in Offenbach for a period of several hours. According to the Hesse Ministry for the Interior and Sport, a judicial order was not required for this measure. Mobile phones should only be confiscated during a deportation procedure if this is deemed necessary in substantiated individual cases. 54