Danish Immigration and Integration Minister Inger Støjberg has said that she does not oppose the idea of putting failed asylum seekers on one of the many deserted islands within Danish territory.
The proposal, which was initially put forward by the populist Danish People’s Party (DF), would see failed asylum seekers being kept on one of the 300 or so deserted islands while they await deportation. Støjberg said that while she agrees with the proposal in principle there would be some challenges in regard to its implementation, Berlingske reports.
“I am always ready to look into good ideas for how we can improve the control of rejected asylum seekers. This is of course also a proposal from the Danish People’s Party,” Støjberg said.
“There may, however, be some practical and legal challenges by establishing a deportation centre in a very isolated place. And these are the things to be considered,” she added.
A report from September listed the number of failed asylum seekers waiting for deportation at 921 but almost half, or 434, had little chance of actually being deported.
Martin Henriksen of the DF welcomed the support from the minister, saying: “We have about 300 uninhabited islands in Denmark, and if Inger Støjberg is really open to our proposal, she will instruct her officials to investigate how to do that.”
“Maybe we can find an island where there is already a settlement. But otherwise, it can be anything from container houses to a tent camp,” he added, and said the proposal would not be expensive.
Denmark has been much tougher on mass migration than her neighbour Sweden since the migrant crisis reached its height in 2015, enacting laws to discourage economic migrants. The Danes have even proposed to strengthen the border with Sweden, citing the high numbers of Islamic extremists in the country that could pose a threat to Denmark.
Earlier this year the Danish parliament, or Folketing, passed a resolution against mass migration stating that Danes should not become a minority in their own country.
The text of the resolution read: “Parliament notes with concern that today there are areas in Denmark where the number of immigrants from non-Western countries and their descendants is over 50 per cent. It is parliament’s opinion that Danes should not be a minority in residential areas in Denmark.”