Cologne migrants under criminal investigation after residence programme
Dozens of Western Balkan migrants placed in Cologne’s residence programme are now linked to nearly 100 investigations for violent and sexual crimes.
A controversy has erupted in Cologne after it emerged that dozens of migrants from the Western Balkans who were given a place in the city's residence programme are facing criminal investigations for violent and sexual offences.
Programmes instead of deportation
The case began in the autumn of 2024, when the Central Office for Foreigners in Krefeld offered Cologne replacement travel documents for 471 rejected asylum seekers from Western Balkan countries to enable their deportation. Cologne's department responsible for residence regulation declined the offer and instead enrolled many of those on the Krefeld list into a city integration project.
City records show that 218 people from the Krefeld list were taken into Cologne's integration project. It was later established that 119 of those already had police records. According to local reporting, more than 150 criminal proceedings were recorded at that time.
By 2026, prosecutors had opened nearly 100 separate investigations against 76 of the 153 people then participating in the programme. The allegations include rape, sexual abuse of children, distribution of child pornography, robbery, grievous bodily harm, cocaine trafficking and money laundering.
The city emphasised that an ongoing criminal investigation does not equate to guilt or conviction. “Under the current rules for the residence program, adopted by the city council in March 2021, the existence of a criminal record in itself is not an obstacle to participation in the program,” the city said.
A city spokesman added that a review now under way will examine whether the programme’s rules were followed and if additional measures or changes are needed. “The current review, which also covers how criminal cases are handled within the residence program, will show whether these conditions were observed and whether additional measures or changes are necessary,” he said.
Authorities also stress that police files do not always indicate the outcome of an investigation. “Police investigation records do not necessarily contain information about the outcome of the proceedings,” a spokeswoman noted, pointing out the records may not show whether charges were filed or convictions secured.
Photo: press material from the event
