Six criminals remain in the country because Cologne failed to react.
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An asylum scandal in Cologne is widening. Six people who are required to leave Germany are still in the country because the city’s foreigner authority failed to respond to a state offer to help with deportations.
According to Focus, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia offered Cologne support to prepare the deportation of around 500 migrants from the Western Balkans who are legally obligated to leave. Instead of accepting, the Cologne administration reportedly chose to offer those affected the chance to apply for permanent residency.
The decision has triggered outrage at federal, state, and city level. Critics say it shows how bureaucratic inaction can override security concerns.
The case echoes other long-running problems in Cologne. Focus previously reported on a 41-year-old Bosnian man, Marko M., who was supposed to be deported back in 2003. He disappeared before removal, reappeared in 2007, and lost a court case against deportation in 2009. Yet the city kept extending his "Duldung" — temporary suspension of deportation — for 17 years, citing a lack of substitute travel documents. He has eight children with his wife. According to documents seen by Focus, the family receives about 7,300 euros per month in benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, roughly 87,600 euros per year.
That man also has a criminal record. He has been listed in police files 147 times for offenses including forgery, theft, and fraud. Despite this, authorities declined to pursue deportation with substitute papers, citing humanitarian reasons after his wife had children.
The wider context is messy. Nationwide, deportations often fail. In 2024, states registered about 53,800 returns with the Federal Police, but around 33,600 were canceled before handover. Common obstacles include missing documents, illness, and people disappearing after release from prison. The European Convention on Human Rights also bars deportations to countries where torture is likely, which applies even to serious offenders.
In Cologne, the latest criticism is that the city actively turned down help. Rather than pushing removals forward, officials offered a path to stay. Opponents call it a "sparing" of criminal clans and a failure of the rule of law.
The city has not yet issued a detailed public response to the allegations. The six individuals at the center of the current report remain in Germany for now.