“There is no €600 waiting for anyone. That statement is false, and it is dangerous because it tells young people to go, when people are dying.”
He revealed that after hearing the claim, he immediately contacted European Union diplomatic channels, including embassies of Germany and Spain, to verify the information. According to him, their response was no such cash payments exist.
“In Germany, asylum seekers do not receive €600, they receive about €450, and even that is not cash. It comes in the form of an electronic card.”
The minister explained that the card can only be used to buy basic items such as food and clothing and is designed to prevent misuse. “You cannot withdraw cash. You cannot send money home. You cannot even send one euro back to your family,” he stressed.
Dr. Ceesay added that the support only applies while an asylum application is being processed. “Once your asylum is rejected, you are off that system. You are placed on a deportation list. Nobody continues to support you.”
Drawing from personal experience, the minister said he visited asylum camps in Germany three years ago, including camps in Stuttgart and other cities, where he met Gambian asylum seekers firsthand.
“Some of them told me they had been sitting there for three years, no work, no school, no income. Just waiting, eating and sleeping. That is the reality.”
He rejected the idea that Europe offers an easy or dignified life for irregular migrants, describing the situation as one of prolonged uncertainty and frustration. “That is not the picture being painted to young people back home,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay accused Essa Faal of effectively promoting irregular migration by presenting Europe as a guaranteed reward. “When you say, ‘Just cross and €600 is waiting,’ what message are you sending?” he asked rhetorically. “You are encouraging young people to risk their lives.”
The minister said the government is taking the issue seriously, pointing to recent interceptions by security forces, including boats stopped by the Navy and other agencies.
He outlined the government’s three-pronged strategy; expanding opportunities at home through youth employment, education and investment sustained public advocacy on the dangers of irregular migration and a firm crackdown on human smugglers.
He also challenged the narrative that jobs do not exist in The Gambia, noting that many sectors are dominated by foreign workers. “If there are no jobs, why are Senegalese, Guineans and Sierra Leoneans coming here to work?” he asked. “Where are the Gambians?”
For Dr. Ceesay, the debate is not about politics but truth. “It is unfair to mislead young people,” he said there is no free money in Europe. There is no €600. And selling that lie can send people to their deaths.”
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