Denmark: Minister looking into Eritrean asylum spike

The justice minister Karen Hækkerup has announced that she wants to look into the increasing number of asylum-seekers hailing from the east African country of Eritrea.

Last month Denmark experienced 510 asylum seekers from Eritrea, compared to an average of about ten per month during the first quarter of this year.

“We need to look into who the asylum-seekers from Eritrea are, why they are coming to Denmark, and whether they have legitimate protection needs,” Hækkerup said in a press release.

“If they don’t,they need to be sent back. I’ve noted that Udlændingestyrelsen [immigration services] intends to send a mission to the area to evaluate the situation.”

READ MORE: Number of asylum seekers charged with crimes rising

Neighbourly advice
The minister went on to explain that the many Eritrean asylum-seekers will not be granted asylum until the evaluation has been completed.

Denmark isn’t the only nation to experience a spike in Eritrean asylum-seekers recently. Norway, the Netherlands and Germany have all experienced similar increases, and the Justice Ministry is in dialogue with the authorities in the three nations to glean their experiences.

Hækkerup has also established a work group tasked with looking into how border control areas and airports can be improved in terms of tackling human trafficking and illegal immigration.

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