Denmark’s parliament has passed a law enabling the Nordic country to deport asylum seekers to countries outside Europe, defying calls to abandon the legislation from NGOs and the United Nations.
The move was headed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democratic anti-immigration government; 70 legislators voted for the proposal and 24 against on Thursday.
The law allows Denmark, which has gained notoriety for its hardline immigration policies over the last decade, to move refugees arriving on Danish soil to asylum centres in a partner country.
There, asylum seekers would have their cases reviewed and possibly obtain protection in that country.
In practice, people would have to apply for asylum at the Danish border and then be flown to a centre outside Europe while being processed.
Denmark would foot the bill for the operation, but processing asylum requests would be carried out by the host country.
“If you apply for asylum in Denmark, you know that you will be sent back to a country outside Europe, and therefore we hope that people will stop seeking asylum in Denmark,” government spokesman Rasmus Stoklund told broadcaster DR.
Credit: aljazeera.com
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