New citizens were more law-abiding, but parties seek tighter rules

More than 99 per cent of people who became Danish citizens since 2018 have not violated the criminal code, making them markedly more law-abiding than the population as a whole, according to Statistics Denmark figures reported by DR. The figures have emerged as parties debate whether citizenship rules should be tightened further.

Danish People’s Party leader Morten Messerschmidt has argued against granting citizenship to people from the Middle East and Africa. The party’s immigration spokesperson, Mikkel Bjørn, said obeying the law should be a minimum expectation for those granted citizenship. He also cautioned that the figures do not show how crime develops among later generations.

Figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Integration show that male immigrants and descendants from predominantly Muslim MENAPT countries commit two to three times as much crime as the rest of the population. The article notes that the lower crime rate applies to people who have obtained citizenship.

The Social Democrats say restrictions introduced since 2018 have helped exclude people with criminal records from becoming citizens. Since then, certain prison sentences and offences have made applicants permanently ineligible. The party’s citizenship spokesperson, Katrine Evelyn Jensen, said she could not rule out further restrictions.

Several parties also want applicants screened for anti-democratic views. An expert group is due to examine how that could be done, but its work has been delayed until March. Politicians will then consider whether to introduce a new citizenship law.

The 2018 rules permanently bar people who have received longer prison sentences or committed offences such as gang crime, violence against children and sexual offences. A speeding fine of more than 3,000 kroner adds four years and six months to the waiting period for citizenship; fines for violating drug laws add six years, regardless of the amount.

The Social Liberals’ immigration spokesperson, Magnus Georg Jensen, said individual cases can distort the picture, arguing that citizenship applicants must be law-abiding for many years. The Moderates’ citizenship spokesperson, Mohammed Rona, said the figures gave politicians reason to consider the full picture, while supporting further restrictions on applicants with anti-democratic views. The Conservatives welcomed the figures but said there were still problems that required action.