End stop Free State: Here the payment card is even harder (Augsburg, August 2, 2015)
At the introduction the The Bavarian state government is a pioneer in payment cards for refugees. What does this mean for asylum seekers there?
The way the new government has planned the payment card, it should only be available for 50 euros in cash. How this can be calculated and justified is not yet transparent. If payment is no longer possible wherever cash or a transfer is required, this restricts the self-determination and freedom of action of refugees. Whether it’s buying a pretzel at the school kiosk, money for materials at school or legal fees: paying becomes a logistical challenge. Bavaria also plans to limit the map locally to administrative districts. This restricts refugees’ mobility and should be excluded from using the Deutschlandticket. Appointments with authorities, doctors, lawyers or visits to friends or relatives are made impossible.
The payment card is also an issue nationwide. Who bears political responsibility?
At the end of 2023, the Prime Minister’s Conference with 14 federal states decided to introduce the payment card nationwide. A working group was founded under the chairmanship of the Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein, CDU. However, Bavaria and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania rushed forward to issue their own payment card. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder, CSU, left no doubt about the direction of the project. It’s about defending against refugees; “financial incentives” need to be reduced. The Prime Minister’s justification for introducing the card is that paying out cash is supposedly “a pull factor” for coming to Germany. This plays into the hands of the AfD because it confirms images and stereotypes in order to portray migration as a burden per se.
How is this to be classified legally?
Using payment cards as a tool to reduce the number of asylum seekers is probably unconstitutional. The Federal Constitutional Court ruled in 2012 that social benefits must not be misused to deter refugees, for example to regulate migration. “Human dignity cannot be relativized in terms of migration policy,” it said in the reasons for the judgment.
Companies make a killing from this; At the same time, there is considerable bureaucratic effort for the administration. In whose interest can dthe payment card be economical?
We don’t yet know who will win the contract and earn money from implementing the technology. “Our payment card comes faster and is harder,” Söder announced. While the card is only being advertised elsewhere, Bayern is now starting to put it into practice. The authorities clearly have to deal with bureaucratic effort. There will be many problems with implementation. Applications probably have to be written because a refugee doesn’t have enough cash, for example if he has to travel to an embassy appointment. It could have been solved differently by connecting the card to the checking accounts. The municipalities would be relieved because resource-intensive cash procurement and disbursements would no longer be necessary.
The payment card is sold as a new instrument, dThe debate is old. The voucher practice for asylum seekers existed in the 1990s. This brought numerous supporters to the scene with solidarity campaigns that counteracted the discriminatory nature of the payment process at supermarket checkouts: They gave the asylum seekers cash for the vouchers and paid with them on their behalf. Will there be such actions again?
We hope so. Groups can meet in front of supermarkets so that supporters can shop with the payment cards and the refugees receive cash in exchange. Practical solidarity from below is needed to counter the restrictions from above. One thing is clear: There will again be a patchwork of different regulations; including states that pay a higher amount in cash. Anyone who comes to Bavaria is out of luck. That’s unfair.
2024-02-08 19:20:25
#Pushing #deportation #Bavaria #unlucky
