Huso B. and his family of nine cashed in Asylum seeker benefits amounted to a good 7,200 euros per month over the years. The 42-year-old migrant from Bosnia-Herzegovina has been tolerated by the Cologne immigration authorities for a good 20 years, despite a number of previous convictions. His deportation always failed because the city did not provide replacement documents from the safer country of origin. ‘

Cologne Mayor on the Huso B case: Toleration status correct

Mayor Torsten Burmester asked for publications about the asylum scandal an examination of the process was announced. The SPD politician now told FOCUS online: “The examination comes to the conclusion that the person in question – taking into account the factual and legal situation as well as personal circumstances – currently rightly has a toleration status. This toleration status is regularly checked by the immigration authorities.”

North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst sees it completely differently: “I understand everyone who feels anger about this case. It mercilessly shows the weaknesses of German asylum law. People who are not given the right to stay must be quickly returned to their home countries.”

The time between the decision and departure must be as short as possible. “People who exploit our hospitality rights to commit crimes must also be consistently deported. It must not be the case that rejected or criminal asylum seekers live for years at the expense of our social security systems.” The CDU politician advocated “seriously talking about ways in which we can adapt the high rates of German social benefits for asylum seekers to the rules of other EU states.”

Huso B. collected seven penalty entries

In North Rhine-Westphalia, a payment card has been introduced to make money transfers an exception and reduce incentives for social abuse. “We must continue to work hard and consistently in Germany on a better asylum system so that we can do justice to those who really need our protection.”

The city of Cologne knew about the seven criminal records that the Bosnian had accumulated since he was 26 years old. In 2010, Huso B. received a fine of 1,100 euros for communal theft.

In Bamberg he was noticed for property damage and theft. The spectrum ranged from fare evasion to other thefts. In 2014, according to information from FOCUS online, Huso B. was even sentenced to a suspended sentence, and in 2023 he received another 120 daily rates for forging documents.

At the beginning of December 2025, the petty criminal was scheduled to appear before the Cologne district court in the eighth case of fraud in a drugstore. Since the postman was unable to deliver the summons to the refugee accommodation in the south of Cologne, the judge temporarily stopped the proceedings. The “Bild” newspaper first reported. “This is common practice in these cases in order to interrupt the statute of limitations,” explained a court spokesman. The public prosecutor’s office was asked to investigate the defendant’s whereabouts.

Bosnian disappeared without a trace and suddenly reappeared

According to FOCUS online research, B. traveled to Germany with his family from Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1994 at the age of ten without any identification documents. In 2003, the young man was supposed to be deported as a rejected asylum seeker. But the Bosnian disappeared without a trace and suddenly reappeared in Cologne in 2007.

The Cologne immigration office renewed its deportation order. On September 13th of the same year he was threatened with deportation. Huso B. unsuccessfully sued against the decision. In 2009, the administrative court confirmed the city of Cologne’s decision. But from then on nothing happened. The authorities in the Rhine metropolis have extended the temporary toleration dozens of times to date.

Visit to Huso B.

The “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” had already visited the home address of the person being sought at the beginning of the year. According to the report, it was also no problem to drop Huso B. a message requesting a callback in his mailbox at his accommodation.

The Bosnian immediately responded via cell phone. What he then said was probably not entirely true. B. said he committed his last crime in 2014. He never claimed to have received the 7,000 euros a month. The decision from the Cologne Social Welfare Office from autumn 2023 proves the opposite. As the phone call progressed, Huso B. became louder and louder. The rejected asylum seeker began to swear before hanging up, according to the newspaper’s report.

Apparently the 42-year-old Bosnian doesn’t have any work to this day. B. and his family are now receiving citizen’s benefit. For his ten-member community of needs, standard rates total around 5,000 euros.

In addition, the job center finances costs for living space and heating, contributions to statutory health and nursing care insurance, benefits for the education and participation of children and young people (BuT), for example for personal school needs, school trips and school trips, lunch meals, and learning support, additional needs in special life situations, such as during pregnancy, as well as one-off support, for example acquisition costs when moving home (initial equipment).

The family received around 7,250 euros

According to a current list from the Cologne job center, a family of ten can add a total of 2,100 euros in rental costs. The additional expenses for heating are not included. According to the Techniker Krankenkasse, the health insurance contributions for grant recipients, which are borne by the federal government, were an average of 133 euros per person per month in 2025. Taken together, this amounts to well over 7,000 euros in state support.

A total of around 7,250 euros were transferred to the family in September 2023. This is what it says in a city notice, which lists the grants for children and parents, which range between 630 and 835 euros.

FOCUS online also has a message from the Cologne job center to Huso B. that speaks volumes. In it, the joint venture between the municipality and the federal employment agency informed the Bosnian that his entitlement to citizen’s benefit would expire at the end of March. Consequently, he must submit an “application for further approval”.

The process was very easy, the clerk said. Under the address field above you will find a QR code to access the online service directly. A few uploaded proofs, for example about rent, and the state aid continues as usual.