Dresden (dpa / sn) – The AfD in the Saxon state parliament has failed with an application to have the age of underage refugees medically determined. This should apply to all migrants who enter Germany without a passport. “Due to the numerous privileges for minors, there is a great temptation for young men traveling alone to pretend to be younger,” argued MP Rolf Weigand in the state parliament on Wednesday. He also cited financial disadvantages for the Free State that would result from closer supervision. Those affected would see that the German state can be fooled, added AfD domestic politician Sebastian Wippel.
The motion was rejected by all other parliamentary groups. SPD domestic politician Albrecht Pallas attested to the AfD’s “envy, fear and prejudice”. The AfD generalizes and offers bogus solutions that would ignore reality.
“Anyone who has an enemy image uses their clichés,” said Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) in the direction of the AfD. There are currently 1,107 unaccompanied minor refugees in Saxony. They are now housed in all districts and the district-free cities. Köpping referred to Germany-wide figures, according to which ten percent of those affected are under 14 years old, 15 percent under 15 years, 30 percent under 16 and 40 percent under 17 years. Some would pretend to be younger in order to have better access to education. But there are also young refugees who are getting older in order to be able to earn money as workers, said Köpping.
