The deportation of father and daughter divides a Tamil family from Oplanden into two. In contrast, numerous classmates and supporters took to the streets to put pressure on the mayor. There is still hope for a right to remain.

In the early hours of Monday morning, around 200 people gathered in front of the Leverkusen town hall. Many students who go to school with 15-year-old Ruhaim and 18-year-old Ramla came despite the holidays. Their teachers, who had worked with the students on the speeches and signs, were also there. Around 100 students had already demonstrated in the summer for the Tamil Rouf family's right to stay.

While the rally participants outside the Leverkusen town hall loudly chant “Shame on you” and “Cowardly pig,” Ms. Rouf has a 45-minute appointment at the town hall. She and her children are advised to leave Germany voluntarily. The Rouf family had to find out the hard way on Friday, October 16th, what would happen if they did not leave voluntarily.

The eldest daughter, who would have graduated from high school this school year, and her father were woken from their sleep by police officers at five o'clock and deported to Sri Lanka. An urgent application to the Cologne administrative court, which the family submitted on the same day and in which they demanded their right to remain due to good integration, was rejected.

What's particularly explosive is that his father suffers from heart disease, which made deportation a health risk for him. This heart condition stems from an attack in Sri Lanka. According to the family, their house was burned down by an Islamophobic mob.

This persecution as a minority in Sri Lanka and the fact that the family of seven has been living in Germany for eight years and two of the children were born in Germany are apparently not enough for the authorities to advocate for the right to remain. However, according to the administrative court, the Rouf family is said to be in no danger of political persecution or impoverishment if they return to Sri Lanka.

CEAS reform: Refugee children suffer from payment cards, overcrowded accommodation and deportations

Town hall meeting with protests outside the window

The reason why the family was separated due to the deportation was that 15-year-old Ruhaim was on a school trip during the deportation and the mother was able to return to Leverkusen with all of the children except her big sister for the time being.

When Chamsul Rouf's mother took part in the rally after the meeting in the town hall, an acquaintance spoke and translated for her. The children are traumatized and will miss their father very much. They would always smell his clothes to feel close to him. Opposite thatWDRsays Chamsul Rouf after her appointment at the town hall: “They treat me like a criminal.”

On the signs of the rally participants, the Leverkusen immigration authorities are compared to the US agency ICE. Demands such as “The Rouf family belongs together” and “No student is illegal” can be read. In numerous speeches, students talk about their classmates who are now about to be deported and demand their right to stay.

The young people express their anger at Mayor Stefan Hebbel (CDU) by banning Mr. Hebbel from speaking and calling for his deportation. A student complains that the mayor is too cowardly to talk to them and would drink coffee in his warm office. That's why she wants him to burn his tongue on the coffee.

Pressure on the authorities is increasing

The Seebrücke group mobilized for the rally on Instagram. The Mosaik association, which had been supporting the family for months, was also there. In a speech bySolidarity network CologneThe speaker emphasized that it was positive that young and old were fighting together on the streets for the Rouf family's right to stay. However, even before a possible AfD government, all over Germany you can already see how the state is rearming internally and deporting numerous people. On the other hand, it is right to organize and stand up for everyone's right to stay.

The SPD and the Greens in Leverkusen also expressed sharp criticism. In an open letter, the local SPD chairmen Darius Ganjani and Katja Weierstall directed their criticism at the mayor: "For twelve months the family has been receiving a certificate for which there is no basis in the residence law. It does not protect against deportation, does not allow work and does not open up any legal recourse." The fact that the immigration authorities insist that they cannot object to the Cologne Administrative Court's decision is ignoredSocial Democratsdo not apply and point out that legally it would be very possible to advocate for a right to remain.

Effective abolition of the right to asylum: The federal government's plans with the CEAS reforms

The green council group Leverkusen argues in itsstatementsimilar and do not question the legal decision of the immigration authorities. However, she writes: “Legality alone does not answer the question of humanity and responsibility.”

Onepetitionwhich calls for the repatriation of father Mohamed and daughter Ramla, has already almost reached its goal of 5,000 signatures.

Deportations in North Rhine-Westphalia and nationwide

But the extent to which the family and especially other affected people can rely on the Greens and the SPD's efforts against deportations is questionable. The party members are honestly committed to the family. However, it is also true that the SPD, together with the CDU in the federal government, is currently pushing the deportation course forward. The Greens did exactly the same in the traffic light government together with the SPD.

Deportations: The GroKo continues where the traffic lights left off

The Greens are also campaigning for deportations in North Rhine-Westphalia. In January 2025, the then refugee minister, Josefine Paul from the Greens, declared that 140 places would be created in Mönchengladbach for those required to leave the country. For this purpose, a deportation prison is to be built in the future on a former British military site. The state government sees the prison as an important component in being able to organize deportations more smoothly.

There were from both environmental activists and human rights organizationsprotestagainst the million dollar project. On Saturday, October 24th, there will be protests against this at seven airports nationwideDeportationsfrom the Sea-Watch organization.

There is hope for the right to remain

And all the protest is working. In the case of the Rouf family, too, the attention in the press and by various organizations has ensured that they cannot simply be deported quietly. It met on TuesdayPetitions Committeeof the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament was unscheduled and held discussions with the city of Leverkusen. The committee is a means of giving citizens the opportunity to submit complaints. However, the Petitions Committee can only make recommendations that are not legally binding.

The EU Commission is planning a massive expansion of Frontex

On November 2nd, the Leverkusen Council will meet for a public meeting at 4 p.m. to debate the deportation. Until then, the immigration authorities will refrain from deporting you. The council cannot issue tolerated permits or residence permits. He can make regulations for the administration to do this. The SPD, the Greens, the Left and Volt/ Bürgerlist campaigned for an end to the current practice of the immigration office. However, the vote will be a close oneResultexpected.

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