Danish lawmakers OK seizing valuables from migrants

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Danish lawmakers voted Tuesday to let police seize valuables worth more than $1,500 from asylum-seekers to help cover their housing and food costs while their cases were being processed.

After more than three hours of debate, the minority Liberal Party government's bill was adopted in a 81-27 vote, with the support of the opposition Social Democrats and the anti-immigration Danish People's Party - Denmark's two largest parties. One lawmaker abstained and 70 others were absent.

Amendments were made, including raising the value of items the asylum-seekers can keep from 3,000 kroner ($440) to 10,000 kroner ($1,500). That brings it in line with welfare rules for Danes, who must sell assets worth more than 10,000 kroner before they can receive social benefits.

Denmark received about 20,000 asylum-seekers last year while its neighbors Germany got 1.1 million and Sweden 163,000.

"We are talking about a real exodus," said Martin Henriksen, immigration spokesman for the populist Danish People's Party. "More needs to be done: we need more border controls. We need tighter immigration rules."

Opponents criticized the government for tightening Denmark's immigration laws and called for a common European solution to the continent's immigration crisis.

"This is a symbolic move to scare people away" from seeking asylum in Denmark, said Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen of the opposition left Red-Green Alliance that opposed the law.

Denmark is not the only country taking such action. Some German states do take fund from refugees and Switzerland requires asylum-seekers to hand over cash of more than 1,000 francs ($996).

The bill was part of a raft of measures that included extending from one year to three the period that family members must wait before they can join a refugee in Denmark. Denmark already tightened its immigration laws last year, reducing benefits for asylum-seekers, shortening temporary residence permits and stepping up efforts to deport those whose applications are rejected.