The bill has broad cross-party support and is likely to be passed.
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Markus Wiechel, a parliament member for the Sweden Democrats who is the party’s migration spokesman, says his party’s fortunes rocketed over the past year as the effects of the migrant crisis appeared on Swedish society.
The bill, which went through its final reading on January 21 and is expected to be passed in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday, will lengthen the amount of time it takes for refugees to win asylum to three years. Seventy legislators were absent.
Whether the acquisitive new law is primarily created to make asylum seekers think twice before choosing Denmark as their destination, or whether it’s more about how to offset the potential costs of accommodating newcomers, the effect is the same-they’ll have to part with their valuables.
During the debate, Martin Henriksen of the Danish People’s Party said the bill was “a right step for our country”, but added that there was need for “more border controls and further tightening of asylum and refugee policies”.
He “doubted that Denmark risked repercussions, even though some of the measures were on the margins of global conventions”.
Mette Gjerskov says rather than wait years to get back together, families may now opt to make unsafe water crossings together. The citizens of Denmark are just skeptical of immigration and fear of what will happen to the thousands of migrants or asylum seekers that are coming to Denmark.
However, Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen from the opposition left Red-Green Alliance that was against the legislation, said “this is a symbolic move to scare people away” from seeking asylum in Denmark.
Danish lawmakers are defending their country’s new law on immigration, aimed at making the small Scandinavian country less attractive to migrants.
Yet ruling right-wing party Venstre and anti-immigration coalition partners the Danish People’s Party (DPP) have said claims the measure is a violation of global commitments and human rights shows the law has been “grossly misunderstood”.
Items of “sentimental value”, such as wedding rings, are exceptions to what refugees are required to hand over to the government, “unless they have considerable value”.
Ellemann-Jensen repeated during Tuesday’s debate that “no jewelry” would be seized.
Denmark is not the only country to operate such a system. Switzerland has begun confiscating assets worth more than 1,000 Swiss francs ($980) to pay for resettlement programs, according to a Swiss broadcaster who obtained a receipt provided by the state to a Syrian refugee.
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– 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.
