“He works five hours a month and earns 2700 euros.” The mayor of a large German city wants to expel the Romanians and Bulgarians who abuse the social assistance system

The mayor of Duisburg, Sören Link, has made a public appeal for the application of stricter measures against immigrants in Romania and Bulgaria, which is argued to be abused by the German Social Assistance System, writes the Bulgarian publication, taken by Rador Radio Romania.

Link expressed his position in an Instagram message, in which he distributed a Welt article with the title: “The immigration of the poor in Southeast Europe can and must be stopped.”

“For almost a decade and a half, numerous cities have suffered due to the influx of migrants without study in Romania and Bulgaria, some of which are based on cunning frauds. The new federal government could provide a facility – it is long awaited,” writes Welt.

In many cases, this type of money earning is interwoven with organized crime. According to Sören Link, “criminal networks illegally introduce these people in Germany so that they can fraudulently receive social benefits here.” Much of this money, however, must be taught by them to the people from whom they receive threats and who arrange things behind the scenes. Therefore, those who fraudulently benefit from money are often victims, Welt notes.

“He works five hours a month and earns 2700 euros”

Welt writes that the data shows that the situation in the Ruhr region is more than clear: only 17% of the approximately 26,000 Bulgarians and Romanians in Duisburg have a job, and in Gelsenkirchen it is even lower-only 13% of the 12,000 East-European immigrants are legally employed.

A practice that can be described as a scam, but for now, it becomes more and more known in these cities: “People work about five hours a month to earn 175 euros per month. With this minimum wage income, they have the right to additional social benefits. This is looking for it. They can easily ensure an income of up to 2,700 per month which some immigrants would benefit from the German social assistance system.

“Why is this stigmatization of a minority? Is it necessary to use the term” immigration due to poverty “? Is it necessary to pay special attention to poor migrants in Romania and Bulgaria? Some politicians in the Ruhr area should be prepared for such critical questions. South-east.

“But, no matter how honorable the fear of stigmatization, anyone remembers it seems arrogant. Ask others to shut up about a problem that does not concern you is cheap and easy. After all, the immigration of the poor people in Romania and Bulgaria is just a side effect of the free movement of workers throughout the EU. The undesirable side effect affects only about a dozen cities, most of which are located in the Ruhr region.

Have to work or leave, says the mayor of Duisburg

“Everyone who enters Germany based on the free movement of workers must earn their existence for them and their family – otherwise they must leave the country,” said the mayor of Duisburg, Sören Link, who hopes that the new federal government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, will take concrete measures to solve this situation.

German politicians in the Ruhr area request free access to the data of persons suspected of fraud in the social assistance system, to facilitate the identification and rapid deportation of those who abuse this system. Politicians also want to strengthen border controls to prevent criminals from entering the country.

“The problem is known and I rely on the new federal government to take measures now,” concluded Sören Link.

The problem came to light just before February this year. A search carried out in February in a tall building in Duisburg, known as the “White Giant”, revealed an equally wide fraud in the field of social assistance. Mainly, the Bulgarians and Romanians had children registered there and received allowances for them, even if they did not live there. Hundreds of thousands of euros were stolen in this way. According to the Agency for Employment, only this action prevented millions of dollars.

Photo: © Heiko Kueverling | Dreamstime.com