Migration - Land accepts two Afghans under Federal program by 2024
Over the Federal Admissions Program for Afghanistan, two people have come to Saxony-Anhalt this year so far. This is revealed in the answer of the state government to a minor inquiry of the Landtag deputy Rudiger Erben. The SPD politician criticized in this context Sachsen-Anhalt's Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU), who had called for an immediate stop to the program.
Erben told the German Press Agency that the program is not a quantitative problem. "There are certainly a whole series of topics in migration policy that are criticizable and have effects on Saxony-Anhalt. The issue of admission programs seems to be really not it," so the spokesperson for the SPD-Landtagsfraktion's interior policy. "Why the Minister keeps pushing this issue forward, I don't understand."
Ministry dismisses criticism
The Interior Ministry dismissed the criticism. The demand for a stop is to be seen in the context of the demands for a reduction in refugee numbers, said a spokesperson. "Such federal admission programs represent a significant pull factor for illegal migration to Germany, as not only the target group, but also persons without recognizable protection needs are addressed."
Moreover, smugglers misuse such admission programs through false information. The stop of the Federal Admissions Program is therefore a truly effective measure.
This program is particularly for especially endangered Afghan women and Afghans. It targets persons who are particularly exposed through their work for women and human rights or through their activities in the fields of justice, politics, media, education, culture, sport or science.
Tamara Zieschang, the CDU's Interior Minister in Saxony-Anhalt, called for an immediate halt to the Federal Admissions Program for Afghanistan. Despite this, only two individuals have migrated to Saxony-Anhalt under this program this year, as revealed by the state government's response to Rudiger Erben's Landtag inquiry. Erben, representing the SPD in politics, expressed his confusion about Zieschang's continued focus on the issue, stating that it seems to be an inconsequential topic in migration policy. However, the Interior Ministry dismissed Erben's criticism, arguing that the federal admission program serves as a significant pull factor for illegal migration to Germany and is hence worthy of a halt. This program is primarily designed to aid especially endangered Afghan women and individuals who have worked in fields like women's rights, justice, politics, media, education, culture, sport, or science.
