Denmark Tells Syrian Refugees to Return to Damascus

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Ever since Danish authorities reclassified the Syrian capital as safe last summer, the residency permits of several hundred Syrians from that region have been revoked or simply not renewed.

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Human rights organizations like DRC and Amnesty International are not the only ones to argue against the Danish stance. Left-wing parties that often cooperate with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democrat-led minority government in the Danish parliament are also protesting the move.

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Since Denmark does not cooperate with the regime of Syrian ruler Bashar Assad, deportations cannot be enforced at this time, leftist parties argue. Currently, Syrians who no longer have a residency permit and who refuse to leave the country voluntarily, end up in Danish deportation camps.

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Aya Abo Daher’s classmates wrote an open letter to Danish Integration Minister Mattias Tesfaye, urging him not to expel a girl who speaks fluent Danish and wants to give something back to Danish society. But their words fell on deaf ears — Tesfaye told Danish media he trusts the authorities’ assessment of the situation and will not make exceptions simply because someone has appeared on television.

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The move to more quickly deport refugees is part of a 2019 immigration bill planned by the previous conservative government and followed through on by Social Democrats and right-wing populists in parliament. The legislation makes clear that residency permits are issued for a limited period of time. According to the policy, as soon as the situation allows, refugees’ residency permits are to be withdrawn or no longer extended and they are to return to their home countries.

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Mette Frederiksen, who is left-leaning where most social policies are concerned, leans far to the right on migration and asylum policy. She also has a long-term goal of stopping asylum seekers from entering Denmark in the first place. The country offers financial support to refugees who leave Denmark voluntarily and the government consistently tries to dissuade refugees — also by using harsh rhetoric — from seeking protection in Denmark.

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