Reza R.’s case drew national attention after he was summoned to an appointment with a false promise and arrested. The overseers don’t want to see any failure – and are receiving criticism.
The deportation of an Iranian planned by the Passau District Office at the beginning of October and stopped by the Ministry of the Interior would have been “lawful” according to the government of Lower Bavaria. The authority announced this after examining the controversial case at the request of SZ. The actions of the Passau immigration authorities caused a nationwide sensation after Reza R., who originally came from Iran, was summoned to the office with the promise that he would receive a work permit as a nurse. When he showed up for the appointment, he was taken into custody pending deportation.
The Bavarian Refugee Council accused the district office of “fraudulent” behavior, and the opposition in the state parliament also sharply criticized the procedure. The Bavarian Ministry of the Interior intervened and arranged for the case to be examined. The result is now available.
According to a spokeswoman for the government of Lower Bavaria, the district office of Passau cannot be proven to have deceived. “This is confirmed by the files and the statements of the people involved.” The Iranian was surprisingly arrested because “one person processed the deportation and another the work permit”. In order to avoid similar cases in the future, the Passau immigration authorities will take the “necessary organizational measures”, it said.
Stephan Dünnwald from the Bavarian Refugee Council speaks of a “face-saving solution” so as not to damage the district office. “It’s very unlikely that one clerk didn’t know what the other was doing. It’s all in one file.” As can be seen from documents available to the SZ, the district office had submitted a so-called push application several weeks before the appointment invitation. “By the time the invitation was given, it had long been clear that deportation was in progress,” says Dünnwald. “The office should say clearly: ‘We made a mistake’https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/.”
Reza R. fled to Germany in 2018 and his application for asylum was rejected. He should have been flown to Tehran on October 5. The 41-year-old does not have to fear another deportation at the moment. Because of the violent suppression of nationwide protests, Bavaria has suspended deportations to Iran.
According to the government of Lower Bavaria, R. should now receive a six-month toleration. He was also given the prospect of a “temporary employment permit”. “This is not a satisfactory decision,” says R’s lawyer Maral Noruzi. “A toleration can be revoked at any time.” She wants to work towards a ban on deportation and a secure perspective for her client. Before his arrest, R. had worked as an intern in a nursing service, where he was supposed to start as a permanent assistant. He wants to build on that soon.