| We've been so busy with active jihadi attacks, I haven't had time to do a migrant briefs round-up. Herewith, what I had set aside in my daily perambulations since the last round-up published on May 28. Barring another atrocity, I'll do a proper round-up in the next few days. |
Germany sees growing ′fake father′ racket for migrants 7 June
[DW] Authorities in Berlin admitted on Tuesday that Germany was seeing an epidemic of so-called "fake fathers" across the country - perhaps as many as 5,000 a year. The practice revolves around German men claiming paternity of a migrant's child in exchange for a cash payout, and a German passport for the infant. If their child is a citizen, the mothers can then be granted permanent residency in Germany.
"The business of speeding up residency procedures by means of sham paternity is a nationwide phenomenon," said Parliamentary State Secretary for the Interior Ministry Ole Schröder. He added that the 5,000 cases were only the ones the government was aware of, meaning the actual number may be much higher.
In many cases, the men in question are living off of welfare and are thus exempt from having to pay child support as well.
Syrian Refugee Stabs to Death German Psychologist
6 June
[AnNahar] A 27-year-old Syrian man was arrested Wednesday after he stabbed and killed a refugee aid worker during an argument in a Red Cross therapy and counseling center, police said. The unnamed suspect, who also injured himself, was arrested shortly after the attack in Saarbruecken, near the French border, and was then hospitalized, police said.
The victim was a psychologist who worked with traumatized refugees, said the German Red Cross, whose president Rudolf Seiters said he was "appalled and shocked" by the crime.
Several migrants killed in smuggler bus crash in Bulgaria
5 June
[DW] Nine people from Pakistan and Afghanistan have died and seven others were injured on Sundayafter a minibus transporting them through Bulgaria crashed on the highway. The bus was reportedly driven by a 16-year-old Bulgarian with a criminal record who did not have a license.
The crash took place on a highway near Pazardjik, which is close to Bulgaria's borders with Greece and Turkey.
Karte Pazardjik in Bulgarien
Police said the passengers who were killed did not have any identification documents with them, but survivors of the accident told authorities that they were Pakistani and Afghan nationals.
Report: Rate of deportations stagnating in Germany
4 June
[DW] The German government is falling short of its goal to deport significantly more rejected asylum seekers, a newspaper report has found. Over 8,000 migrants have been sent back so far this year, compared to 25,000 in 2016.
This year has also seen fewer numbers of rejected asylum-seekers who voluntarily opted to return to their countries of origin. According to police figures, only 11,195 such voluntary return trips were approved during the first four months of the year. In 2016, a total of 54,006 migrants took advantage of the volunteer return program in Germany, which covers certain costs including travel expenses.
After the recent drop-off in the number of refugee and migrant arrivals in Germany, Merkel and the premiers of Germany's 16 states declared that only those whose applications were approved were allowed to stay while all others "should leave Germany."
A spokeswoman with the German interior ministry told Welt am Sonntag that the reason for the lower repatriation figures is that an exceptional amount of people returned to their countries of origin last year.
"Repatriations and voluntary departures in 2016 took place to a particularly large extent in the west Balkan countries," the speaker said. Repatriations to other areas have proven to be much more difficult due to a "lack of cooperation" with other countries, the interior ministry said.
The state interior ministry of Hesse told the newspaper that deportations to northern African countries have failed in the past due to the fact that some of the rejected asylum-seekers do not have travel documents.
Cologne transitions displaced people to long-term homes
3 June
[DW] The city of Cologne is finally closing the last of its emergency shelters for displaced people.
Germany approves tougher migrant measures
2 June
[Ynet] Germany's top security official says newly passed measures strengthen authorities' ability to identify and deport migrants who may be dangerous or not deserving of asylum.
Parliament's upper house on Friday gave final approval to measures allowing Germany's migration agency to evaluate cellphone data of migrants who arrive without proper documents, and share data with other authorities in situations considered dangerous.
The measures also speed up deportations and allow authorities to monitor dangerous individuals facing deportation with electronic ankle bracelets.
Germany to keep deporting Afghans who pose threat, hide ID
1 June
[Ynet] The German government said Thursday it will continue to deport people to Afghanistan if they are considered a threat, have committed crimes or persistently refuse to reveal their identity.
The government earlier had said it would consider each deportation on a case-by-case basis following Wednesday's deadly attack in Kabul, which raised fresh questions about security in the country.
U.S. Aid Group in Greece Hit by Refugee Sex Abuse Claims
1 June
[AnNahar] The American aid agency Mercy Corps has announced an internal probe into accusations that two of its workers in Greece sexually exploited refugees. Mercy Corps said it had put the two staffers on temporary paid leave after getting a call to its complaints hotline.
Greek authorities have also opened a probe into the case, which was revealed in mid-May by the office of the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs, Christos Stylianides.
The allegations concerned not just sexual abuse but financial corruption, the Commission said in a May 16 statement. The Commission did not at that time name the agency concerned, but said it had suspended its funding pending the results of the investigation.
Mercy Corps is one of many NGOs working in Greece to help tens of thousands of refugees and migrants blocked from moving further into Europe.
Danish prosecutor: Teen who plotted to bomb Jewish school mentally ill
31 May
[IsraelTimes] A Danish prosecutor says she is appealing a six-year prison sentence given to a Danish teenage girl convicted of attempted terrorism, saying she should be incarcerated in a mental institution instead. Natascha Colding-Olsen, now 17, was found guilty earlier this month of planning bomb attacks on her former school and on a Jewish school in Copenhagen, and of possessing chemicals, two years ago. Prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas said Wednesday the case was “totally unusual and serious.” Earlier a medical report concluded that the girl was dangerous to others.
During her trial, Colding-Olsen, who converted to Islam in 2015, admitted the plans and making contact with people whom she thought were radical militants.
Asylum seeker wins European court appeal against deportation from Switzerland
30 May
[TheLocal.ch] A Sudanese man has won his appeal against deportation from Switzerland after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said deporting him would violate his human right not to be tortured.
The man in question, known only as A.I., arrived in Switzerland in 2012 and lodged an asylum request, the ECHR said in a press release. He claimed he had been a member of a militant organization defending the rights of minorities in Darfur, Sudan, and he had also been a member of armed opposition group the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). It was decided he did not meet the criteria of a refugee and therefore he was ordered to be deported. He then lost an appeal at the Swiss civil court before taking his case to the ECHR.
The ECHR said that “despite certain inconsistencies” there was no reason to doubt the credibility of his claims concerning his political activities, and consequently there were “reasonable grounds” to think he ran the risk of being detained, interrogated and tortured on his arrival at Khartoum airport. Deporting him would violate articles three and two of the European Convention on Human Rights which ban torture and protect the right to life, it said.
In a second case related to another Sudanese man, the ECHR ruled in favour of Switzerland, saying the man, known as N.A., was not at risk of being tortured or ill-treated on his return.
Pieces of pig placed on plot of future mosque in Germany
29 May
[IsraelTimes] Nine wooden spikes topped with parts of a dead pig were planted on a plot of land where Muslims are planning to build a mosque in the eastern city of Erfurt, German police said Monday. The 1.5 meter-tall (nearly 5-foot) stakes were topped with half of a pig’s head, pig feet, and pig bowels among other things, the German news agency dpa reported. Police say whoever was responsible is unknown.
There have been repeated protests against the construction of the Ahmadiyya mosque in Erfurt, including one by protesters who erected large Christian crosses on a neighboring property.