Denmark plans to deport foreigners

The fact that perpetrators of the rising number of violent and sexual assault incidents in recent years are predominantly foreign-born individuals has prompted the Danish government to take action.

According to a statement by the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration, the draft law being prepared mandates the automatic deportation of foreign nationals and asylum seekers who have been sentenced to at least one year in prison for crimes including violence and sexual assault.

The draft law, which aims to further tighten immigration policy rules, states: "Foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes such as assault and rape and sentenced to at least one year in prison must be deported."

Provisions in the bill

The five-article bill includes provisions such as the repatriation of those residing in the country without legal status, cooperation with the administrations of Syria and Afghanistan on deportation matters, increasing cash assistance for those who return to their home countries voluntarily, and increasing security checks for those without legal residency permits in the country.

The bill also mandates that foreigners who fail to comply with supervision obligations, even after serving their sentences, must wear an ankle monitor for one year, and calls for an increase in security cameras and security personnel in public areas where communal living is common.

One of the most notable articles in the bill includes legal arrangements that would make it easier to revoke the permanent residency permits of refugees, even if they currently hold them.

The regulation, which is said to mark a new era in the Danish government's fight against violence and its immigration policies, is expected to enter into force on May 1.

Stoklund: "It should be very sad, boring, and difficult for them to leave the country"

Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration Rasmus Stoklund, who prepared the bill, said in his statement regarding the regulation: "Unfortunately, there are many foreign criminals who have been sentenced to more than a year in prison but have not yet been deported. Many of us find this difficult to understand. Therefore, we are easing the much-needed deportation restrictions to ensure that foreigners who commit serious crimes are sent out of the country. Because it is time to protect the victims, not the criminals, first."

Stoklund added, "At the same time, we are tightening the rules for foreigners who remain in Denmark illegally and do not understand how to fulfill the duties we impose on them. It should be very sad, boring, and difficult for them to leave the country. We must know where they are until they leave Denmark. They have no place in Denmark, and that is why we will push them harder to return home."

Frederiksen: "We did not think that the victims themselves would become the perpetrators"

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also stated at the press conference: "It is right and necessary for European states to come together and say that we choose to protect our countries rather than the criminals."

Arguing that people who came to Denmark as asylum seekers from the Middle East have caused public order problems, Frederiksen said, "At the time, we did not think that the victims themselves would become the perpetrators. I assure you that, unfortunately, many of them have become exactly that."

Current legal regulations in Denmark prevent such deportation decisions from being carried out automatically due to international agreements that protect private and family life. Seeking to change this restrictive regulation, the Danish government, along with the United Kingdom, has also called on the European Union (EU) to reconsider the European Convention on Human Rights in this regard.

News Source: 12punto