The government is proposing to deprive residents of a deportation center of public services such as education and health.

For years, local residents have complained about the presence of criminal deportation center residents, and now the government, represented by Minister for Immigration and Integration Kor Depvad Bek, is proposing a new measure to deprive the center's residents of a package of public services in an attempt to pressure them into accepting voluntary repatriation. Below is the government's proposal and the reactions from right-wing and left-wing parties, along with an analysis in the final paragraph.

The Kærshovedgård departure center has been a subject of political debate for many years. Previous governments have tried unsuccessfully to move the center away from central Denmark.

A solution has also not yet been found for the crime that surrounded the deportation center located near the town of Bording in Jutland in central Denmark.

Recently, the manslaughter charge against a 35-year-old man after he struck a 55-year-old woman in a head-on collision last year caused a stir. The prosecutor said the man was driving at 111 kilometers per hour and a blood test revealed the presence of marijuana in his system. The man maintained his innocence in court in Herning on Monday.

Foreigners and Integration Minister Kor Depvad Beek commented, according to TV2: “But now, this type of case must be put to a serious end.”.

The minister told the source that, in cooperation with the government, he would withdraw a number of rights from foreigners residing illegally in Denmark, and in the future, among other things, driving would be prohibited for residents of the Kærshovedgård deportation center: “It shouldn’t be a tourist center where you can walk around the streets under the influence of hashish. It’s not right to make the lives of people living in the area unsafe in this way.”.

The minister also answered a question from TV2: “I’ve known about these problems for a long time. Why is the story only being brought to light now?”: “When they built Kærshovedgård in 2016, I don’t think they considered the fact that these people would be driving their cars. We in the Social Democratic Party had previously proposed relocating the center, but it wasn’t put to a vote. And now we can see that there is a specific case that has deeply shocked us in the government.”.

Government proposal items

The government will tighten the conditions imposed on foreigners residing illegally in Denmark:

• Residents of the center will be subject to a driving ban, which makes driving a car a criminal offense for the person concerned.
• If you violate the driving ban, you risk imprisonment and the confiscation of your vehicle.
• It will now be prohibited to possess and carry knives without a clear purpose in departure centers.
• The expansion of the knife law also means that the police – if the conditions set out in the Police Act are met – will be able to introduce search zones in the centers.
• Foreigners without legal residency will also be barred from accessing a number of public services, such as student union, education, health care and business management opportunities.

“"They must return to their homelands."”

The government hopes the new proposal will encourage more people from departure centers to leave Denmark.

“Many of the residents of Kirchhoffedegaard are foreign criminals who turned their backs on Denmark and committed crimes so serious that a decision was made to deport them. Therefore, they should not be able to drive and live a normal life in Denmark. They should return to their home countries,“ Kari Debvad Bek told TV2.

The target groups proposed by the government, who reside in the Kærshovedgård deportation center, are:

• The target group for residents at Udrejsecenter Kærshovedgård is primarily unmarried foreigners and couples without children.
• Foreigners whose asylum application has been definitively rejected and who are not cooperating in leaving.
• Foreigners who were expelled by court order.
• Foreigners who have a tolerant residence permit (tålt ophold).
• Foreigners whose residence permit has expired under Article 21B, Paragraph 1.
• Foreigners who were administratively expelled in accordance with Article 25.

Source: Danish Prison and Probation Service

Thus, the government proposal shows that in addition to depriving expelled foreigners of the right to drive, the government will also prevent them from accessing a number of services, including the possibility of obtaining housing assistance and accessing health care services. The Minister of Health explained this in the submitted proposal: “From now on, foreigners who lose their Danish residence permit will only be able to receive treatment in the case of an acute illness or urgent needs.“ The Minister of the Interior and Health, Sophie Løde, said in a press release: ”It must be right and reasonable when you are not part of Danish society and are asked to leave the country.”.

The problems are increasing

According to TV2, politicians and local residents have repeatedly expressed their deep frustration with the situation. However, the problems persist; in fact, crime rates among residents of the Kærshovedgård deportation center have risen in recent years.

A total of 139 people were convicted of crimes committed while residing in Kærshovedgård between 2017 and 2024.

In 2017, eight people were convicted of a crime, and by 2024 the number had risen to 83.

Many crimes are related to what is called the obligation to reside and report, but there are also hundreds of cases related to drugs, traffic violations, theft and violence.

Previous governments attempted to address the challenges

Previously, there had been talk of moving the population from the center to Lindholm Island, which was opposed by the then leader of the Venstre Radical Party, Morten Østergaard.

In 2021, the Social Democratic government, led by current Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, wanted to move the population to a center in Langland, but protests led to the cancellation of this plan as well, much to the dismay of local politicians in central Jutland.

The Venstre Radical Party's comment on the government's proposal

The radical Venstre party has expressed “deep concern” over the government’s new plans. Zenia Stamp, the rapporteur on immigration and integration—known for her sympathetic stance towards immigrants and refugees—fears that the plans will negatively impact the local community surrounding the Kærshovedgård center. She told TV2, ”This puts more pressure on some people, and there’s a risk they will become more destructive and pose a greater danger to the local community and to Denmark. I’m very worried about this.” She fears that increased pressure on the residents of Kærshovedgård could lead to a destructive reaction, as they are already in a difficult situation. “Our objection is not that we think this is a sin for these people. It’s about not wanting to push people to the point where they end up becoming terrorists or violent people,” Stamp told TV2.

The Danish People's Party wants to lock the doors on the residents of the center.

The Danish People's Party – a right-wing party that is hardline towards immigrants and refugees – is also dissatisfied with the government's proposals. But unlike the Danish Social Democrats, the party's spokesperson on foreign affairs and integration, Mikkel Bjørn, does not believe that the government is doing its best: “It would be better if these people left the country, preferably tomorrow. But until that happens, until these people are put on a plane and start their journey out of the country, the departure center should be locked.”.

In response to TV2's question, "Surely you might be in direct conflict with international agreements if you were forced to lock the population inside?" Mikkel Bjørn replied, "We believe that the safety and security of Danes must take precedence over international agreements. They were written at a different time and for a completely different purpose than protecting criminal foreigners in Kærshovedgård.".

The minister replies: “He will not put a lock.”

However, the criticism from both parties does not seem to have much effect on Minister Kaur Dybvad, who commented on the Danish People's Party's proposal to TV2, saying: "It is primarily about getting them out of the country. Our ultimate goal is not to put a lock on Kærshovedgård. Our ultimate goal is to bring those who live there back to their homelands.".

In response to TV2's question, "They are already here illegally, do you think they care that driving will now be illegal?" the minister said, "It may happen that if they meet the police or authorities, they will get a penalty and maybe go to jail.".

It is worth mentioning that in addition to Kærshovedgård, there are two departure centers in Denmark, Sjælsmark and Avnstrup, but the discussion here is about the departure center Kærshovedgård, as it appears from the article published on the TV2 website, which ends here.

analysis

This proposal is considered a new attempt by the government to pressure the residents of the aforementioned deportation center to leave Denmark and return to their home countries. It is unclear when the government will officially submit the proposal to the Danish parliament, but if it is put to a vote in parliament, it is known that right-wing parties often vote in favor of decisions that tighten restrictions on non-Western immigrants and refugees in general. Considering the political alliances that have begun to emerge in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections, the red parties (left-wing and known for their sympathetic stances towards refugees and immigrants, and currently in the opposition) may be able to pressure the Social Democratic Party, the proponent of the current proposal, to withdraw the proposal or some of its clauses if the Social Democratic Party wants to return to the red parties' fold in the next parliamentary elections. It is known that the previous government, headed by Mette Frederiksen, was supported by the red parties, but this changed when Mette Frederiksen allied with the Moderate Party and her historical arch-rival, the Venstre Liberal Party, to form the current government, which began in 2021 and was called the SVM government.