The Airplane Kids

1990

10 minutes - English

In the early 1990's, foreign children escaping conflicts in Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and Iran were regularly sent to Germany with just a suitcase. They would arrive at the airport without their parents, hoping for a better future.
Why Germany? Because foreign children below the age of 16 are treated as German nationals who are clothed, fed and schooled by the state upon entry.
60 Minutes met with the German Federal Border Guard, educators and foster parents to learn more about where these kids go once they leave the arrivals gate at Frankfurt Airport.