Prominent Danish Lawyer Slams Government’s Proposed Migrant Benefit Cuts

Danish immigration attorney Aage Kramp has condemned the government’s proposal to cut migrant benefits, local media reported Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Wednesday, the Danish government agreed a new proposal under which social benefits for migrants in Denmark would be almost halved, both for unmarried asylum seekers and for married couples with children. The new initiative also enables the government to pay less to those who spoke poor Danish or do not know the language at all.

Copenhagen forecasts that the deal could save at least 400 million kroner [$59.4 million], adding that the country could expect a further "tightening" later this year.

"For many this will make it impossible to be able to both pay rent in the cities and have money enough for food and clothes for themselves and their children," Kramp was quoted as saying by the Copenhagen Post.

Students in Denmark, many of whom are foreigners, are supported by the state, but immigrants would be left without similar possibilities, Kramp underlined.

In mid-June, general elections were held in Denmark, with the issue of immigration high on the agenda.

The government, led by the center-right Venstre party is supported by the far-right anti-immigration Danish People’s Party (DPP). During the election campaign, Venstre blamed budget cuts, unemployment and social problems on immigration, promising to "take action" on refugees.