In a case that has sparked outrage and disbelief across Germany, Liliya Klassen, a 49-year-old ethnic German woman from Kazakhstan, narrowly avoided deportation, despite her entire family, including her husband and seven children, being German citizens.
Her deportation order was temporarily suspended this week after public pressure and media scrutiny, but her ordeal highlights a baffling double standard in Germany’s immigration system. While violent criminals and rejected asylum seekers often evade deportation, authorities relentlessly pursue cases like Klassen’s over a simple bureaucratic mistake.
Liliya and her husband, Heinrich Klassen, moved to Germany in 2020 from Kazakhstan, where their ethnic German ancestors had been exiled under Stalin’s regime. Heinrich, already a German citizen through his parents, had lived in Germany before. But when the family entered the country, they mistakenly used a short-term Schengen visa instead of applying for a long-term residence permit directly.
On June 17th, 2025, German authorities rejected Liliya’s residence permit application, issuing a deportation order demanding she leave by July 31st or face a 30-month ban from re-entering. The decision ignored the fact that her husband and all seven children are German citizens, with two still being minors. Shockingly, authorities initially dismissed the family’s plea, describing them as merely “a community of people who met each other” rather than a family unit deserving protection.
After widespread media coverage and public backlash, the Karlsruhe Regional Council suspended the deportation order this week—at least temporarily, while Klassen’s appeal is reviewed.
In an emotional open letter, Heinrich Klassen expressed his family’s anguish, writing that they could not understand why his wife was being separated from him and their children over a simple administrative error, especially when she is of German descent, her entire family holds German citizenship, and they all speak the language fluently.
The case has reignited debates over Germany’s chaotic immigration policies, with critics pointing out the contrast in how different cases are handled. While authorities pursue deportation for law-abiding families over technicalities, violent offenders—particularly those from migrant backgrounds—often remain in the country despite deportation orders. Just last year, multiple cases emerged of Afghan and North African criminals, including convicted rapists, avoiding deportation due to legal loopholes or claims of unsafe conditions in their home countries. Meanwhile, a mother of seven with deep ties to Germany was nearly expelled over a paperwork mistake.
For now, Liliya Klassen gets to stay, but her case exposes a system that critics say has lost all sense of proportion, one that punishes innocent mistakes while tolerating real threats to German society.
