Initiatives exchange vouchers for money for asylum seekers

With the introduction of the payment card, asylum seekers in Saxony have significantly less cash at their disposal. As this is more of an integration hurdle in everyday life, initiatives are exchanging vouchers for cash with those affected, as announced by the Saxon Refugee Council.

In April, a pilot project for the gradual introduction of the payment card began in the Saxon districts. Among other things, it is hoped that this will prevent money being paid to smugglers or families in the home countries, relieve the administrative burden on local authorities and reduce the incentive for illegal migration. The Saxon Refugee Council had reported that numerous complaints had since been received from those affected and criticized the introduction of the card as a "discriminatory practice".

Asylum seekers can now buy vouchers from the initiatives and exchange them for cash at campaign groups, the Refugee Council reported. Other people then take the vouchers and use them for their weekly shopping. "We see the introduction of payment cards as a discriminatory symbolic policy. They exclude refugees from normal social life and make their everyday lives unnecessarily difficult. They are pure harassment. We are exchanging vouchers for cash so that refugees can at least participate a little more," said René from the initiative Accounts instead of cards from Leipzig.