Engineer from Mayen ends up in US prison – arrest causes excitement!

Engineer from Mayen ends up in US prison – arrest causes excitement!

A memorable day for the Rhineland-Palatinate region, which will feature a mix of news from politics, culture and everyday life on December 9, 2025. The focus is on an event that draws the borders from Germany to the USA and addresses the challenges of immigration. Thomas Bilger, a 40-year-old engineer from Mayen, was recently released from a US prison after his application for a green card led to an unexpected incident.

Bilger often stayed in the USA due to his professional obligations and lived there with his American wife Audrey Hestmark. Although his work visa had expired, he was currently undergoing a naturalization process with the USCIS in San Diego. On November 20, during a regular appointment, Bilger was suddenly arrested by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. According to his wife, this happened without warning and the officers were dressed in civilian clothes. His detention lasted until last Friday, when he was released with an ankle bracelet, but the legal situation remains tense. As the Focus According to reports, he was not given a clear reason for his arrest, although such measures are not legally permissible in similar cases.

Insight into the Green Card system

The challenges for immigrants like Bilger cannot be underestimated. Over 1.1 million green cards are issued in the USA every year, allowing foreigners to live permanently in the USA. Most of these cards are issued under family reunification, followed by work visas and humanitarian programs. However, you should be careful not to leave the country during the application process, as this can jeopardize your status. Controls on the immigration system were tightened, especially under former President Trump, which makes the situation even more complicated for many of those affected, as shown usgreencardoffice.com can be read.

The Federal Employment Agency, however, reports today that the labor market in Rhineland-Palatinate remains stable despite an increase in unemployment of 4.6 percent compared to the previous year. This could open up new perspectives for many looking for work in the region, even if economic challenges remain noticeable.

Cultural stories from Rhineland-Palatinate

Aside from the difficult issues in the areas of immigration and the labor market, there is also positive news from the cultural world. Archaeologists from Freiburg and Mainz have discovered a 2,500-year-old marble statue in Italy that contains astonishing remains of ancient paintings. This statue probably came from Athens and was exported to Etruria free of charge. Such discoveries expand our knowledge of the art and culture of antiquity and demonstrate excellently the connections between different regions.

But not all the news from the region is positive. The police investigated the use of armed soldiers in Santa Claus costumes at the Christmas market in Zweibrücken. A very unusual sight that raises questions among both the population and security forces.

In addition, the district council of the Rhein-Hunsrück district has decided to support the hospital in Boppard with 250,000 euros - good news for health care in the region in the coming years. At the same time, the Federal Transport Minister approved the expansion of the A1 gap in the Eifel, which will cost 317 million euros and could potentially provide positive impulses for the local economy.

Overall, December 9, 2025 presented the citizens of Cologne and Rhineland-Palatinate with a multifaceted picture of politics, culture and social challenges. The news shows once again that the issues that concern us are often connected across national borders.