On Friday morning, 28 criminals will be deported to Afghanistan. A federal funding program gives them 1,000 euros in “hand money” each.
At 6:56 am, a Qatar Airways charter flight took off for Kabul Hab – the first deportation flight to Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power three years ago. According to information from “Spiegel”, each of these passengers received 1,000 euros in “hand money” before departure – in this case 28,000 euros for the entire flight. Which leads to a question: Why is Germany paying money to people who are supposedly being legally deported – including serious criminals?
The answer lies in a program run by the Federal Ministry of the Interior with the catchy name REAG/GARP. The two abbreviations actually stand for two projects: the “Reintegration and Emigration Program for Asylum Seekers in Germany” and the “Government Assisted Return Programme” – ie “reintegration and emigration program for asylum seekers in Germany” and “government assisted return – Programme”.
The intention of the program is to give financial support to people who are deported or leave the country voluntarily to leave the country. The aim is also to create a financial cushion when they return home.
Among other things, travel expenses from the place of residence to the point of departure, for example a railway station or airport, can be approved. There is also a so-called travel allowance of 200 euros per person. During the journey, those who are deported or leave the country are entitled to medical assistance, such as a wheelchair service. In the target country, this support can be continued for up to three months for a maximum of 2,000 euros. In addition, there is a right to a “one-off grant” of 1,000 euros per person or a maximum of 4,000 euros per family – the so-called “hand money”.
Asylum seekers who meet one of the following conditions can apply for assistance from the REAG/GARP program in connection with their departure from Germany:
People with one or more EU cities are not eligible.
