The Danish government intends to place criminal asylum seekers who are waiting to be deported in prisons in Kosovo. The Scandinavian country wants to conclude the agreement with the Balkan republic, Danish Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup announced on Wednesday evening, according to the dpa news agency.
According to him, the agreement will include 300 places in detention centers in Kosovo. In addition, capacities in Danish prisons should be expanded. The government wants to create 1,000 additional spots by 2025.
The planned agreement is directed against migrants who are obliged to leave the country, but who are not allowed to be deported to their home country due to the political situation. This currently includes Syria, for example.
Migrants could go through asylum procedures in third countries
Denmark is the first EU country to withdraw residence permits from immigrants who hail from Syria. However, due to the lack of diplomatic relations, there are hardly any deportations to Syria.
The social democratic government also passed a law in the summer, according to which asylum seekers can be deported to countries outside the EU without a procedure. In the future, migrants could wait in reception camps in a third country for the decision on whether they would be granted a right of residence in Denmark.
The government in Copenhagen is currently looking for partner countries for the project. According to the Dansih newspaper Jyllands Posten, the countries of Rwanda, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Egypt are in talks for a corresponding agreement.
If a migrant applies for asylum in Denmark, he or she would have to expect to be taken to a third country, said the MP Rasmus Stoklund (Social Democrats) to the radio station DR. The government hopes to reduce the number of new immigrants.
Despite Denmark being ruled by an ostensibly left-wing government, that has not stopped it from taking a hard line stance on immigration. The government has sought a policy of “zero” asylum seekers and has sought to radically reduce immigration numbers.
