Denmark is considering a new policy — via Dylan Matthews at Vox,
“The Danish Government has on 10 December presented a bill before the Danish Parliament which includes a number of different initiatives on asylum policy, including the initiative on seizing valuable assets,” Mia Tang, a spokesperson for the Danish Ministry of Immigration, Integration, and Housing explained in an email. “The bill will go through Parliamentary debate in January and will enter into force after adoption by the Parliament. The bill is expected to be effective from February 2016.”
Under the law, any possessions worth more than 3,000 kroner — about $440 — would be fair game for immigration authorities to seize. “Foreigners will always be able to keep assets which are necessary to maintain a modest standard of living, e.g. watches and mobile phones,” Tang insists. […]
[Tang] continues:
It follows from current rules that an asylum seeker, who brings sufficient means to take care of him- or herself, should not also receive support from the Immigration Service. The asylum seeker is obliged to inform on any means the asylum seeker brings with him or her. The bill presented on 10 December 2015 provides the Danish authorities with the power to search clothes and luggage of asylum seekers — and other migrants without a permit to stay in Denmark — with a view to finding assets which may cover the expenses mentioned above.
The law would apply both to refugees entering Denmark in the future and to ones there now.
see also: Denmark wants to seize jewelry and cash from refugees.
Amanda Cellini 