Seizure of Assets of Five Illegal Iranian Migrants at Copenhagen Airport

Danish police announced on Thursday, June 30, 2016, that they had confiscated around 11,000 euros in cash belonging to five illegal Iranian migrants. According to the French news agency, this action by Danish police was part of the enforcement of a law passed in the Danish parliament last February, which allows asylum seekers to carry only about 1,450 dollars in cash or jewelry. This law, which faced widespread criticism globally after its approval, permits police to search the belongings of asylum seekers and seize assets exceeding the stated limit. The report states that the seizure of these migrants' assets is the first instance of the enforcement of the law approved by the Danish parliament. The Danish parliament passed this law as part of a plan to limit the entry of asylum seekers into Denmark. According to a statement from the Danish police, 10,700 euros in cash were confiscated from two men and three women aged 26 to 35. The police stated that these asylum seekers intended to enter Denmark with forged documents. Following the escalation of the migrant and refugee crisis in Europe, many Syrian and other Middle Eastern asylum seekers have chosen Denmark, known for its generous social rights and benefits, as their destination. Over the past year, asylum applications to Denmark have reached 21,000, which is 44 percent higher than the asylum applications registered in Denmark during 2014.