A 20-year-old Afghan asylum seeker, whose application has been rejected, is considered so dangerous that he requires 24/7 private security—costing German taxpayers a staggering €40,000 per month.
Since arriving in Rüdesheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, last September, he has repeatedly displayed violent and religiously extreme behavior. Initially housed with two other men, he attacked them with a stick, smashed porcelain, and hurled objects at windows, according to Mayor Markus Lüttger (CDU). Reports also suggest he harassed roommates over religious practices, waking them at night to force them to pray and threatening them if they refused.
Authorities moved him to an emergency shelter in Windesheim, but his aggression persisted, sparking serious concerns among staff and residents. Despite multiple attempts, psychiatric commitment was denied due to a lack of immediate hospitalization grounds. To contain the risk, officials placed him in an isolated container within the shelter, guarded by two security officers around the clock—a costly yet necessary measure.
District Administrator Bettina Dickes (CDU) has pushed for his deportation, calling the situation unsustainable both financially and socially. In November, she urged the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Integration to take swift action, but only received a vague response in mid-January, which she found “unsatisfactory.”
“Here we want to do something and cannot,” she lamented.
The Green-led integration ministry admitted the case was “worrying” but blamed the impasse on diplomatic hurdles. With no official relations between Germany and Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled government, deportation remains an uphill battle.
“There is no diplomatic relationship with the Taliban, for good reasons, and therefore it is not easy to deport people and can only succeed through the complex efforts of the federal government,” said Integration Minister Katharina Binz.
Meanwhile, frustration over cases like this has fueled political momentum for stricter immigration policies. Earlier this week, the CDU and AfD joined forces to pass a historic five-point plan tightening deportation rules and border controls. With elections looming on Feb. 23, both parties are poised to dominate the Bundestag—signaling a possible shift in Germany’s stance on migration.
