Danish government secures backing for bill on taking migrants' cash
A controversial Danish bill to seize migrants' valuables to pay for their stay in asylum centers looks set to pass in parliament after the government on Tuesday secured a parliamentary majority.
Parliament was set to begin a series of debates on the bill yesterday, ahead of a vote on Jan. 26. Faced with a storm of criticism, Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose right-wing Venstre party is behind the plan, called it "the most misunderstood bill in Denmark's history."
His minority government and its right-wing allies, the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP), the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party, reached an agreement on the bill on Tuesday with the opposition Social Democrats, meaning it is now supported by a majority of parties in parliament.
The amended bill would allow Danish authorities to seize migrants' cash exceeding 10,000 kroner ($1,450), as well as any individual items valued at more than 10,000 kroner.
Wedding rings and other items of sentimental value would be exempt, the agreement said, also citing engagement rings, family portraits and badges of honor. But items such as watches, mobile phones and computers worth more than 10,000 kroner may be seized, it said.
Copenhagen last week began backtracking on its proposal by raising the amount of cash a refugee can keep from the initially suggested 3,000 kroner to 10,000 kroner.
Three small left-wing parties, the Red Green Alliance, the Socialist People's Party and The Alternative, remain opposed to the bill. Integration Minister Inger Stojberg has faced a wave of criticism over the plans to search migrants' bags for gold and other valuables, prompting some commentators to draw parallels to Nazi Germany.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Jan. 6 that the Danish government's bill sent a signal to other countries that "could fuel fear, xenophobia and similar restrictions that would reduce – rather than expand – the asylum space globally."
Prime Minister Rasmussen said the reactions were exaggerated. "When you look at the debate you almost get the impression that when people come to the border they're going to be turned on their heads to see if their last coins can't be shaken from their pockets. It's completely distorted and wrong," he told media Tuesday. And a spokesman for the far-right DPP told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in December that the bill was intended as a signal to dissuade migrants from coming to Denmark, and not aimed at actually raising money.
The proposal is the latest in a string of moves by Denmark to reduce the number of refugees coming to the country. Other measures have included shortening residence permits, delaying family reunifications and placing advertisements in Lebanese newspapers.
Denmark received 21,000 refugees last year, compared to 163,000 in neighboring Sweden, which until recently had some of Europe's most generous asylum rules.
Parliament was set to begin a series of debates on the bill yesterday, ahead of a vote on Jan. 26. Faced with a storm of criticism, Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, whose right-wing Venstre party is behind the plan, called it "the most misunderstood bill in Denmark's history."
His minority government and its right-wing allies, the far-right Danish People's Party (DPP), the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party, reached an agreement on the bill on Tuesday with the opposition Social Democrats, meaning it is now supported by a majority of parties in parliament.
The amended bill would allow Danish authorities to seize migrants' cash exceeding 10,000 kroner ($1,450), as well as any individual items valued at more than 10,000 kroner.
Wedding rings and other items of sentimental value would be exempt, the agreement said, also citing engagement rings, family portraits and badges of honor. But items such as watches, mobile phones and computers worth more than 10,000 kroner may be seized, it said.
Copenhagen last week began backtracking on its proposal by raising the amount of cash a refugee can keep from the initially suggested 3,000 kroner to 10,000 kroner.
Three small left-wing parties, the Red Green Alliance, the Socialist People's Party and The Alternative, remain opposed to the bill. Integration Minister Inger Stojberg has faced a wave of criticism over the plans to search migrants' bags for gold and other valuables, prompting some commentators to draw parallels to Nazi Germany.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Jan. 6 that the Danish government's bill sent a signal to other countries that "could fuel fear, xenophobia and similar restrictions that would reduce – rather than expand – the asylum space globally."
Prime Minister Rasmussen said the reactions were exaggerated. "When you look at the debate you almost get the impression that when people come to the border they're going to be turned on their heads to see if their last coins can't be shaken from their pockets. It's completely distorted and wrong," he told media Tuesday. And a spokesman for the far-right DPP told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in December that the bill was intended as a signal to dissuade migrants from coming to Denmark, and not aimed at actually raising money.
The proposal is the latest in a string of moves by Denmark to reduce the number of refugees coming to the country. Other measures have included shortening residence permits, delaying family reunifications and placing advertisements in Lebanese newspapers.
Denmark received 21,000 refugees last year, compared to 163,000 in neighboring Sweden, which until recently had some of Europe's most generous asylum rules.
Last Update: January 13, 2016 22:35