The Regional German newspaper “Westfalen-Blatt” has reported that more than 670 Chechen asylum seekers have arrived in the city of Biefeld from Poland, since the beginning of 2013.

According to the information, in the city of Biefeld, the number of Chechen asylum seekers has risen sharply since the beginning of 2013. They are desperately searching for asylum even though it will be nearly impossible due to the Dublin II regulation.

“Since January 2013, 670 Chechens, mainly young people and their families, have come to Bielefeld. Chechens usually enter the EU through Belarus and into Poland, where they apply for asylum. The case is usually assessed within a day and then they leave Poland for Germany. Poland is among the countries of the Schengen Agreement. This is why those who are traveling through Poland must apply for asylum and continue their asylum procedure in Poland. Apparently here, we have better asylum conditions that cause Chechens to move from Poland to Germany, and subsequently to Bielefeld. Bielefeld calculated that one of the main objectives could also be that a close relative of the asylum seeker lives in the city. However, it is often unclear how they are able to cross the Polish border into Bielefeld without any legal travel documents. Whether people are persecuted or come out of economic necessity, they will not get refugee status here,” said Rüdiger Schmidt, head of the municipal civil office.

In Bielefeld, asylum seekers receive benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act. This includes accommodations, food and petty cash, or 3.86 Euro per day for each adult and 2.86 Euro per day for each child. Usually within two months, their application is rejected on the basis of the Dublin II regulation. But then many of them go to the Administrative Court. The court also requires about two months for a decision. If it is negative, then many of them appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, and it takes an additional two months. Finally, in a six month period, nearly all of them are sent back to the country where they entered the EU first.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco