Violent migrant criminals ordered to leave the country, failed deportations: in recent years, immigration authorities have become a symbol of failure. Insiders speak of a system on the verge of collapse – and warn of a string of new laws to be adopted.

There are cases where minor, seemingly insignificant mistakes later appear catastrophic. The attack in Aschaffenburg on 22 January is one such case. In Schöntal Park, a 28-year-old Afghan national stabbed a two-year-old boy, who was on an outing with his nursery group, as well as a 41-year-old man who tried to stop the attacker, the German Die Welt newspaper reports.

The mistake in question dates back to 26 July 2023, when the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) sent a so-called final notification to the central immigration office in Lower Franconia.

According to the letter, the later perpetrator, 28-year-old Afghan national Enamullah O., had had his asylum application unequivocally rejected, and arrangements should have been made for his transfer to Bulgaria. It was in Bulgaria that he was first registered within the EU. Under the Dublin Regulation, Bulgaria was responsible for processing his asylum application. There is, however, a six-month deadline for such transfers to take place. The man should have been deported by 3 August. By the time BAMF’s letter arrived in Bavaria, only five working days remained to complete the deportation—insufficient time to process it. As a result, Germany became responsible for the Afghan man’s asylum procedure.

A dozen interviews conducted by Welt am Sonntag with BAMF officials, immigration authorities, and members of the security apparatus, including senior figures, confirm this account.

Germany’s asylum and immigration system is on the brink of collapse. Insiders—who spoke under the condition of anonymity—describe a system overwhelmed by excessive workload, bureaucratic hurdles, and political opposition.

Rarely has political pressure on immigration authorities been greater than it is now. After all, following attacks like these, the pattern remains strikingly similar:

First, it emerges that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker. Shortly thereafter, it becomes apparent that he had, in fact, been ordered to leave the country. Deportations often fail because the country of origin refuses to cooperate. At the same time, the flaws within the German system repeatedly come to light.

Hans-Eckhard Sommer, Director of BAMF, placed the blame for the failure in the Aschaffenburg case on his own agency. At the time, BAMF’s capacity was “exceeded by more than 100 per cent.” In 2023, more than 300,000 asylum applications were submitted in Germany—more than in any year since 2016.

„The entire reception system was on the verge of collapse due to such high arrival numbers,”

– Mr. Sommer stated, according to minutes from the committee of interior affairs. In response to inquiries, BAMF explained that it has since increased its capacity. Last year, it issued 301,350 asylum decisions—almost 40,000 more than the previous year. Additionally, it hired over 1,000 new employees.

However, this has only provided limited relief. Staffing remains stretched to its limits, especially in the immigration authorities responsible for issuing residence permits or organising deportations based on BAMF’s asylum decisions.

Chronic problems

A senior official at an immigration authority in eastern Germany describes high staff turnover and insufficient digitalisation as major challenges. Within this complex system, decisions often have to be made rapidly and without thorough deliberation. Caseworkers rarely have full knowledge of the latest legal precedents. In cases similar to the Aschaffenburg incident, they can only hope that the perpetrator “isn’t one of their own cases.”

Insiders have also criticised what they decsribed as sluggish communication between decision-making levels. Several BAMF decision-makers report that they often struggle to reach staff at the approximately 600 immigration offices by phone when they have questions about registered migrants.