Unfortunate terror investigation: NRW refugee minister Paul under pressure: Will this woman fail in Solingen?

Why wasn’t Issa al H. deported? After the Solingen attack, many questions remain unanswered. Of all people, the Green Refugee Minister responsible, Josefine Paul, plays an unfortunate role.

When North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) appeared before the press in Solingen on Monday afternoon after the fatal knife attack, he was not alone. In addition to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who spoke before the Prime Minister, Wüst’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) and Solingen’s Mayor Tim Kurzbach also stood in front of the cameras and microphones. The gentlemen had previously consulted internally, and now they addressed the public together. And the question looming over everything was how this act could have happened.

Of all people, there was no trace of a woman who could provide answers: Josefine Paul (Greens), who as Minister for Family Affairs and Refugees under Wüst was responsible for deportations in North Rhine-Westphalia. And thus also for that of Issa al H., which failed in 2023.

Where was Paul?

It was not until late Monday afternoon that the minister spoke for the first time – with a written statement: It is now important “to find answers to the question of how this act could have happened and what measures should be taken as a result,” she said. Her ministry is “in the midst of an acute investigation process.”

Scholz Jena 20.14

On Tuesday, four days after the attack, Paul finally appeared in public in person. And at least shed some light on the question of why the suspected attacker Issa al H. was still in Germany. After all, the Syrian should have been deported to Bulgaria because the country was responsible for his asylum procedure under EU law.

Paul explained that shortly before the Bielefeld immigration authorities showed up to deport al H in June 2023, he left his refugee accommodation in Paderborn. He later returned, but the accommodation failed to report this to the authorities.

More questions than answers

In addition, the responsible immigration authorities failed to register a return flight for al H. to Bulgaria. According to this, a flight to Sofia would only have been possible after the so-called transfer deadline. The background is again EU law, according to which Germany had six months to transfer al H. In August 2023, this deadline expired, and Germany has been responsible since then.

Later that evening, Paul explained in an interview with WDR that Dublin transfers were “extremely complicated” and that Bulgaria was making it difficult with its limited number of return flights. We now have to ensure that European law “is really enforced”. But: “We have no means of influencing this ourselves from North Rhine-Westphalia.”

A minister declares herself powerless. Is this what being overwhelmed looks like? Surrender?

The minister’s unfortunate communication strategy is also causing irritation in her state government. Prime Minister Wüst’s team is not looking good in this case. Wüst’s government, which has been trying for months to pressure the federal government to be tougher in its asylum policy, has to admit to shortcomings in the case of Solingen. The minister responsible initially remains silent and only gradually dares to go public after a few days.

Of course, the investigation of the case is complex. Deportations are complex procedures. They involve local and state officials, immigration authorities, the police, but also the Federal Office for Migration, which decides on asylum procedures.

But how can it be that Paul said nothing at all for days, only to then shift the responsibility onto local authorities, Bulgaria and EU law?

Paul’s statements raise more questions than they answer: Why did the immigration authorities not visit al H. until June 2023, even though it had been clear since February that he had no right to stay? Did the authorities continue to search for him after they did not find him in the refugee accommodation? Why was H. not taken into deportation detention? And how exactly does Paul intend to prevent such omissions in the future?

The minister is under pressure, including from the state government itself. Prime Minister Wüst said in an interview with star, he had “unanswered questions”. When asked about Paul, he explained: “If there were mistakes, they should be clearly identified.” That didn’t sound like support.

Comment Solingen 09.18

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Reul declared that he was not responsible for deportations – and thus passed the ball to Paul. Formally, that is true. Since 2017, the Family Ministry in North Rhine-Westphalia, as the Ministry of Refugees, has been responsible for deportations. However, Reul’s office is responsible for the police, which works closely with the Ministry of Refugees on deportations.

SPD criticizes “NRW special path” – FDP calls for investigative committee on Solingen

Criticism of this division of responsibilities came from the SPD parliamentary group. The state must “question its fundamental approach to security and migration,” said parliamentary group leader Jochen Ott. “In all other federal states, responsibility for migration and deportation lies with the Ministry of the Interior. Only NRW has chosen a different path. But we see that migration and internal security are closely linked.”

For the chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, Henning Höne, the Solingen case points to “serious deficiencies in the interaction between our authorities, reminiscent of previous cases.” Höne called for a committee of inquiry into the events.

The opposition has so far refrained from directly criticizing Minister Paul. But for how long? A special joint session of the Interior and Integration Committees is planned for Thursday, and Reul and Paul are expected to attend. The state government also wants to request a special session of the state parliament.

Then Josefine Paul will have to provide further answers.