Centre Party MP challenges minister over delayed departure centre

A Centre Party lawmaker sharply criticised Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir for delaying the opening of a departure centre for foreign nationals by a year. The minister said preparations had taken longer than expected, mbl.is reported.

Snorri Másson raised the issue during an unscheduled question session in parliament on Wednesday. The centre had been due to open in December, but the government is now aiming to open it a year later.

Másson said the Centre Party had warned that the project could be costly and complex. He also said the party had opposed removing police powers to place foreign nationals in custody in connection with deportations before the centre was operational.

He called the change an obvious and serious flaw, and asked why the concerns had not been addressed during preparations. He warned that the law could take effect before the centre was ready, leaving police without those detention powers.

The justice minister said the government had inherited a difficult situation in immigration policy and was working to improve its management. She said applications for international protection had fallen by 10 per cent since the government took office.

She also criticised previous governments, saying there had been no clear policy on immigration for about a decade. Iceland’s population had grown by around 50,000 since 2017, she said, adding that such rapid growth affected public infrastructure and attitudes towards immigrants.