No money, no health card, no accommodation? Dozens of refugees entered Thuringia benefits have been canceled in recent months. At the end of September, a total of 144 people were affected, 29 of whom were minors, as announced by the Ministry of Migration. At least 26 of those affected left the country in the first nine months of this year and seven of them were deported.
For about a year, there has been a possibility of completely canceling asylum seeker benefits for certain refugees. Incentives to stay in Germany should be eliminated, state governments argue. Refugee associations criticized this and accused Thuringia of being too strict. And that too United Nations According to the association, they are said to have intervened. This is what it’s about:
Which refugees are affected by this?
In particular, the withdrawal of benefits relates to the so-called Dublin case. In other words, refugees who were first registered in another EU country. Their asylum applications are usually rejected as inadmissible because the other country is responsible. If the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) had ordered their deportation and checked whether they could legally and truly leave the country, they would no longer be entitled to asylum seeker benefits, as explained by the Ministry of Migration.
Will all services be cancelled?
Not immediately: There is a two-week transition period. There are also options for solving difficulties. There were differing reports as to whether people ended up on the streets. The Thuringian Refugee Council, for example, reported that a number of people were reportedly evicted from their accommodation and have since found shelter with friends or acquaintances. Districts like Ilm district reject this claim: no one has been thrown out onto the street.
Why is Thuringia in focus?
A case in Ilm district recently caused a stir nationwide. Refugee organization Pro Asyl reported that the United Nations (UN) Social Committee criticized Germany for its handling of refugees refugees complain there. A UN spokesman in Geneva did not comment directly on the case. In general, the procedure is confidential until a final decision is made, he said in response to dpa’s request.
Specifically, it concerns a young man who was first registered in Malta. According to the Refugee and Pro Asyl Council, his accommodation, social benefits and health card were withdrawn. According to Ilm district, the man refused an offer of accommodation in shared accommodation.
What positions are there on the topic?
According to Pro Asyl and the Thuringian Refugee Council, the authorities and courts in the Free State are very restrictive in implementing the withdrawal of benefits. “Refugee benefit cuts are being implemented harshly in many places in Thuringia, and even children are being affected,” the Refugee Council said. He called on the state government to ask districts to stop the practice.
However, the state government says that this is a federal law. The Thuringian authorities are bound by this. In general, the state government supports the process, as a spokesperson for the Ministry of Migration said. Significant incentives would be removed to remain in Germany despite an obligation to leave because of the expected social benefits.
The Refugee Council counters: In the case of Dublin, the problem is often that the destination countries of refugees do not agree to repatriation. So even if people wanted to, they couldn’t return in an orderly manner. Then their benefits would be withdrawn and they would have no money to buy a plane ticket.
At least for the man in the Ilm district, according to the district, things were different: his transfer to Malta had already been arranged. The man could not be found that day.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251114-930-291232/1
