Cologne’s foreigner authority is under fresh scrutiny after reports that one in three people on an internal deportation list went on to commit crimes. The list, referred to in German media as the “Coesfeld list,” has become the focus of a widening scandal, according to n-tv.de.
The reports, published Tuesday, claim that since autumn 2024, roughly one-third of the individuals named on the list have been involved in criminal offenses. The figure has prompted renewed criticism of the city’s handling of deportation cases, with local broadcaster WDR and the newspaper WELT both covering the allegations.
The list itself appears to have been drawn up by the Cologne foreigner authority but was not acted upon, according to the reporting. The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger adds that 152 people on the list are classified as offenders, and that the city turned down an offer of assistance with carrying out deportations. That detail, if accurate, suggests the issue was not a lack of resources but a refusal to use available help.
The city of Cologne has denied the report, according to Evangelisch.de. That denial is part of the ongoing back-and-forth between authorities and the media, and it remains unclear what evidence the city has presented to counter the claims.
The case has drawn attention because it touches on a sensitive policy area: how German cities manage deportation orders for people with criminal records. The reports do not specify what types of crimes were committed, nor do they clarify how many people are on the list in total.
What to watch next: whether Cologne’s denial holds up as more details about the list’s contents and the city’s decision-making emerge.
