A report by the German newspaper Bild, citing a confidential document from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, suggests that the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) was overwhelmed, leading to a delay in the deportation of a Afghan asylum seeker, the perpetrator of the Aschaffenburg double murder.
According to the report, the BAMF had rejected the asylum seeker’s application on June 19, 2023 and he was supposed to be deported to Bulgaria, as he had entered Germany through that country. However, the corresponding deportation letter from the BAMF to the responsible foreign authority was not sent until July 26, 2023, more than a month after the initial rejection.
The report quotes the document as stating that the “abschlussmitteilung” (final notice) to the foreign authority, informing them of the unappealable decision, was only sent on July 26, 2023 and thus the deadline for the return to Bulgaria, which ended on August 3, was missed.
A spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of the Interior told Bild that the delay in the dispatch of the final notice is attributed to the high workload at the BAMF, particularly in 2023, due to the high influx of asylum seekers. The ministry has taken measures to address the issue, including strengthening the BAMF with additional personnel, with an allocation of 1,140 new staff members for 2024.