Denmark: Immigration-stop to ghettos

Denmark: Immigration-stop to ghettos

Refugees and immigrants from non-Western countries wouldn't be allowed to get public housing in the 29 neighborhoods designed as ghettos by the government, according to the most important initiative in the government's new plan "The ghetto back to society".

The government wants to change the population composition in the ghettos by forcing municipalities to find housing for refugees and immigrants from outside the EU and Scandinavia, outside the ghettos.

Henriette Kjær, Conservatives spokesperson for political affairs says that people who come to Denmark will be placed somewhere other than the ghettos, so they get a real opportunity to integrate, and the vicious circle will be broken. Henriette Kjær stressed that according to the plan 'resource-rich' foreigners will get an exception.

The government's ghetto plan includes about 30 concrete initiatives. Among the most notable initiatives are quick justice for problem families, obligatory kindergarten for linguistically weak children of foreign parents, a stop on family reunification in the ghettos, and sharpening the demand for welfare recipients to have a link to the job market.

At the same time, the government says that around 2,000 ghetto apartments will be razed down.

The Local Government Association is skeptical about the plan. Deputy chairman Erik Fabrin (V) says that it's very, very difficult task for the municipalities, as they don't have many vacant residences for people to move into.

The DPP welcomes the plan, while S and SF are more skeptical.

Source: JP (Danish)

See also: Denmark: "We have some urban areas in which one can ask whether they are Denmark at all"