North Rhine-Westphalia municipalities decline Coesfeld deportation assistance

A government document reveals that the Coesfeld Central Aliens Authority (ZAB) provided lists of refugees from Western Balkan states to 73 municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia to assist with deportation preparations. However, the offer of assistance saw minimal uptake.

According to the refugee ministry's response to an inquiry by the FDP, only four municipalities accepted the help. In 18 cases, local immigration authorities did not respond to the emails from Coesfeld, and in two instances, it was unclear if the communications were received. Other authorities stated they did not require the support or would handle the procedures independently.

The City of Cologne also declined the assistance, opting to manage its own processes despite receiving a list of 471 names for which Coesfeld offered help in obtaining substitute identity documents. Research indicated that the list included numerous individuals with criminal records.