In addition, it requires refugees to wait three years before applying for their families to join them, which is one of their rights under global law.
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Sweden and Germany are regarded as the most desirable final destinations for most of the more than 1 million migrants who entered Europe past year, and both countries have proved the most hospitable to new arrivals.
“The choice to give Danish authorities the power to search and confiscate valuables from asylum seekers sends risky messages in our perspective”, he said.
Some have likened the Danish proposals to the confiscation of gold and other valuables from Jews by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The asylum seekers will themselves have to prove that the items have sentimental value by sharing personal stories to the police.
The passing of the so-called jewelry bill allows the seizure of valuables worth more than 10,000 Danish kroner (about $1,453).
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has said that the proposal violates the refugees’ human rights and the refugee convention.
It is also the latest attempt by Denmark’s minority center-right government to curb immigration to a country that took in a record 20,000 refugees previous year.
Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said “it is perhaps the most misunderstood bill in Danish history”, arguing it is meant to create equal responsibility between Danes and migrants when it comes to receiving welfare.
“It is a sad reflection of how much Denmark has wandered from its historical support of global standards enshrined in the Refugee Convention”, he said.
Critics say the legislation is aimed at deterring migrants from coming to Denmark in the first place.
The bill passed Tuesday because the opposition Social Democrats and the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party – Denmark’s largest and second largest parties – have endorsed it. One lawmaker abstained and 70 others were absent.
Anders Ladekarl, secretary general of the Danish Red Cross, called the law “really disturbing”.
“We also think it is fair and reasonable that those asylum seekers who do bring enough assets with them should cover the costs of their food and lodging during the asylum process itself”. Sweden, which took in over 160,000 refugees last year, the most per capita in Europe, introduced checks on its border with Denmark at the start of the year.
– Residence permits are shortened to two years from five for those granted a higher form of protection, meaning asylum seekers facing persecution based on their race, nationality, religion, political beliefs or association with a specific social group.
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Kashif Ahmad, the leader of the National Party, which targets the immigrant vote, told AFP: “The tone in the public debate about refugees and immigrants has undoubtedly become tougher”.
