The Danish parliament is debating a controversial bill that will allow authorities to seize the valuables of migrants and refugees in the country to pay for their stay in asylum centers, the government announced Monday.
According to a government statement, the ruling Venstre party as well as “the Social Democrats, the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party have agreed to amend the bill concerning valuables.”
The new bill allows authorities to confiscate watches, mobile phones and computers from those who have entered the country without documentation and who are staying in refugee centers.
Denmark, this is a disgraceful policy https://t.co/YXeL6yLTuA
— Alberto Nardelli (@AlbertoNardelli) January 12, 2016
It also gives police and other officials “the power to search the clothing and luggage of asylum seekers and other migrants without a permit to stay in Denmark with a view to finding assets which may cover expenses.”
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However, items of sentimental value will be spared, including wedding rings, engagement rings, family portraits and badges of honor and other items that may be considered personally valuable.
Just how poisonous is the migration debate becoming in norhern Europe? Latest exhibit from #Denmark https://t.co/DMYw25lLes
— Peter Spiegel (@SpiegelPeter) January 12, 2016
The law was initially proposed by Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen last year, and was immediately criticized and compared to Nazi Germany's seizing of gold and valuables from Jews during World War II.
Denmark, as well as neighboring Sweden, have received international criticism for cracking down on refugees and migrants.
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Last week, Denmark introduced spot checks of random commuters on its border with Germany, but this will not include mandatory ID checks for all travelers.
Sweden also announced last week that it will enforce mandatory photo ID checks on its border with Denmark, even though critics have argued the measure will cause chaos for the tens of thousands of commuters that cross between the two countries each day.
Europe is currently facing its largest influx of refugees and migrants in decades, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people moving through the Balkans and crossing the Mediterranean to escape conflict in countries such as Syria.
Global refugee levels are now at their highest since the aftermath of World War II, and European nations have been divided over how to handle the influx of refugees and migrants and have largely refused to acknowledge their responsibility for the conditions which create migrants and refugees in the first place.
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