The case of a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina (41), who was supposed to be deported from Germany in the early 2000s, reopened the discussion about abuses of the social system and the ineffectiveness of deportation procedures. Although the decision to expel him was made back in 2003, he still lives in Germany today, where his large family receives almost 7,300 euros of social assistance per month.
According to available data, the total annual amount of aid received by his family exceeds 87,000 euros, which, according to German statistics, ranks them in the ten percent of the most financially wealthy households in the country. At the same time, this is a person with a long-standing and serious criminal record.
Deportation ordered but never carried out
The man, born in Bihać and citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, should have been deported from Cologne more than two decades ago. After he disappeared in 2003, he reappeared in 2007, and in 2009 the court rejected his deportation appeal. Despite this, the expulsion was never carried out.
One of the key problems, according to the German authorities, was that his origin was kept as “unsolved” for years, even though he was a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city of Cologne subsequently admitted that it had never initiated the process of issuing replacement travel documents, which are used precisely in cases where a person does not have valid documents, and deportation must be carried out.
The city administration justifies that they initiate such procedures only when they are sure that the deportation will be successful.
“Family reasons” and eight children
The so-called family reasons were cited as an additional reason for not carrying out the deportation, given that the man has eight children. However, statistical data show that deportations to Bosnia and Herzegovina generally do not encounter serious obstacles. In the entire federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, there was only one unsuccessful case of deportation to BiH due to a lack of documents, according to Fenix Magazine.
Extensive criminal record
In addition to avoiding deportation for years, the 41-year-old is also a frequent guest of German courts. Since 2010, a series of proceedings have been conducted against him for serious theft, forgery of documents and various frauds. He is currently facing a new trial for drugstore gift card fraud.
This case is no exception. In Cologne alone, there are seven families with ten or more members who receive similar, extremely high amounts of social assistance for asylum seekers. The city annually allocates more than 65 million euros for this purpose, which further increases political and public pressure.
Sharp reactions from politicians
The case caused violent reactions in political circles. CDU representative Gregor Golland harshly criticized the city authorities: “There is clearly a lack of political will to deport a criminal and his family. It is completely incomprehensible that almost 90,000 euros of social assistance is paid to someone annually. It is an open robbery of the welfare state,” said Golland.
Dieter Romann, head of Germany’s federal police, is also critical, warning of systemic weaknesses: “This is the reality of the system. Behind every deportation is a huge administrative and operational effort, but as long as so many expulsions are canceled at the last minute, the gap between those who have to leave and those who actually do will remain huge.”
The case of the BiH citizen from Cologne thus became a symbol of a broader discussion about the functioning of the German migration and social system, but also about the limits of tolerance towards those who, despite court decisions and a criminal past, remain beyond the reach of the law for years.
(TIP/Source: federalna.ba/Fenix Magazin/Photo: Screenshot/Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger | Illustration)
