Every parliamentary party except Dansk Folkeparti (DF) is ready to loosen the legislation on family reunification. Justice minister Karen Hækkerup (S) reached a consensus with their immigration spokespersons at an urgent parliamentary meeting this morning.
A revision will grant citizenship to approximately 30 children who have been deported, even though they have their family in Denmark and are attending school.
When the parties meet to pen out the agreement in the week starting Monday March 10, DF will stay out because the party doesn't approve of legislating retrospectively.
"If people reside in Denmark illegally for several years, then they have violated the law," DF immigration spokesperson Martin Henriksen told Politiken newspaper.
18-year-old model student deported
Politiken wrote last week about Songül Yüksel, an 18-year-old Turkish student, who was told by the police that she had until today to buy her plane ticket back to Turkey, although she was a model student and had lived in Denmark for four and a half years.
The justice minister confirmed that if the new law is passed, Yüksel will be able to apply for citizenship again.
"Songül has had to leave the country for four years. Her situation won't change unless the law is changed," said Hækkerup. "That's what we are looking at, but right now Songül can't leave because she doesn't have a passport and hasn't had it in the last four years."
