Denmark has become the first European country to expel Syrian asylum seekers. Adding, that the country of Syria is safe for return according to Danish officials. Even though, the Danish embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus remains closed having been deemed unsafe to open.

More than 100 refugees under asylum have seen their resident permits revoked and many more applications for asylum status denied. The revoking of asylum status includes teenagers who arrived in the country as small children and who are now integrated into Danish society. At the moment, 33,000 Syrian refugees are living and working in Denmark.

Under Danish law, those who refuse to leave the country will be placed in a detention center. On June 7, Denmark voted to move detention centers outside of Europe. The Danish government plan would be that any person applying for asylum would be sent to a detention center outside of Europe to wait out their application process. The move is meant to deter any future potential asylum seekers.

As the left-wing Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen has stated she plans to make Denmark a, “zero asylum seekers” state.