Denmark’s Avnstrup Return Center, Where Foreigners Live in a State of Limbo

The Danish government has adopted one of Europe’s most restrictive asylum policies. The country systematically deports rejected asylum seekers and foreign nationals whose residence permit has lapsed. The Avnstrup return center houses families before their deportation. Some foreigners live in the center for years however.

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Denmark is the only country in the European Union (EU) which established deportation centers on its territory. After welcoming several thousand refugees in the 1980s and the 1990s, Copenhagen has begun championing an extremely restrictive immigration policy.

The policy is based on forcing rejected asylum seekers and foreigners whose residence permit has expired to leave the national territory. Established in 2020 under the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, the Danish Return Agency (Hjemrejsestyrelsen) is responsible for the deportation and repatriation of foreigners.

Foreigners whose asylum request was refused are encouraged to cooperate with the immigration authorities on their departure. They can continue staying in an accommodation center and receive financial assistance to return to their country of origin. If they refuse, they are placed in one of two deportation centers: Avnstrup or Kærshovedgård.

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