The German city of Essen has ordered 128 custom bulletproof vests for immigration officers to keep them safe whilst carrying out deportations.
Left-wingers in North-Rhine Westphalia have slammed the creation of the Central Immigration Officer (ZAB) with far-left Die Linke politician Marion Wegscheider saying, “such an authority is incompatible with the image that we have of our Essen”, Focus reports.
However, local citizen group the Essen Citizens’ Alliance (EBB) has welcomed the creation of the agency, saying: “The repatriation of non-resident foreigners must finally be improved. We need more deportations. If rejected asylum seekers are not deported, this undermines the acceptance of the rule of law.”
From September 1st, the ZAB will be tasked with managing the deportation of some 21,000 failed asylum seekers in the region with over 300 employees expected to work from a new office that was formerly used as an asylum seeker accommodation.
Police and other authorities have seen a number of attacks on them during deportations following Chancellor Angela Merkel’s promise to increase deportations in September of 2016.
Earlier this year, a group of police were attacked by a mob of migrants in the southern town of Ellwangen at an asylum home when they attempted to take a 23-year-old failed asylum seeker from Togo who was scheduled to be deported. Police ended up having to raid the asylum shelter where the man was living after four people, including a police officer, were hospitalised during the first attempt.
Later in June, another migrant, a 30-year-old Nigerian, wrestled a police officer’s pistol from him during his deportation process. The man attempted to shoot the officers but failed and the weapon was removed from him. The Nigerian then stabbed an officer before being subdued with pepper spray.
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