A NAZI who stood guard at a concentration camp during World War II was deported back to Germany after living in Tennessee for over 60 years, the Department of Justice said on Friday.
Friedrich Karl Berger, a 95-year-old German citizen, was deported back to his home country after a U.S. immigration judge deemed his “willing service” as a guard of concentration camp prisons “”constituted assistance in Nazi-sponsored persecution.”
Friedrich Karl Berger was deported back to Germany after living for 60 years in TennesseeCredit: EPA
Berger was a 95-year-old German who was a Nazi during World War IICredit: Farragut Shopper-News/Theresa Edwards
Berger was eligible for deportation under the Holtzman Amendment, which prohibits anyone who participated in Nazi persecution from living in the United States.
The Board of Immigration Appeals upheld the ruling in November 2020 and he was deported this week.
During Berger’s trial, it was determined he worked as an armed guard at a Neuengamme sub-camp near Meppen, Germany, in 1945.
Most of the prisoners in that camp were Russian, Dutch and Polish civilians, with a small portion of Jews, Danes, Latvians, French, Italians and other Nazi “political opponents.”
Berger was an armed guard at a Neuengamme sub-camp near Meppen, Germany, in 1945Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Berger stood guard armed at the camp, which included a number of Nazi “opponents” including Russians, Jews, Danes and Latvians among othersCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Berger also admitted he guarded prisoners to prevent their escape and didn’t request a transfer from camp guard service.
Most surprisingly of all, Berger still receives a pension from the German government, including for his “wartime service.”
During Berger’s 2020 trial, Berger said he was only at the camp for a short period of time, and said he didn’t carry a weapon.
“I was 19 years old. I was ordered to go there,” Berger said.
“After 75 years, this is ridiculous. I cannot believe it,” he said. “I cannot understand how this can happen in a country like this. You’re forcing me out of my home.”
“We are committed to ensuring the United States will not serve as a safe haven for human rights violators and war criminals,” said acting ICE Director Tae Johnson.
“We will never cease to pursue those who persecute others,” Johnson continued. “This case exemplifies the steadfast dedication of both ICE and the Department of Justice to pursue justice and to hunt relentlessly for those who participated in one of history’s greatest atrocities, no matter how long it takes.”
