Former Danish immigration minister Inger Støjberg was voted out of the Danish parliament Tuesday, following her impeachment and conviction earlier this year for illegally separating married couples seeking asylum while in office.
Støjberg was responsible for overseeing the immigration system in Denmark during the 2015 European migration crisis and received criticism for her extremely strict enforcement of the law, as well as the introduction of new immigration regulations and policies. Among her policies was the separation of couples seeking asylum when one individual was under the age of 18.
While Støjberg claimed that the policy was to protect against potential child brides, the policy violated Danish and European law that forbids the use of blanket policies and family separations in asylum proceedings. Støjberg was impeached by parliament and received a sentence of 60 days’ imprisonment for her abuse of office.
The Danish parliament, or Folketing, expelled Støjberg as a member by a wide margin, with 98 members voting for her expulsion and only 18 members voting against it. While some right-leaning politicians favored allowing Støjberg to stay, a broad coalition of parties voted to expel her, stripping her of her office and any official duties.
Støjberg was unrepentant following her expulsion, telling local media that “[she] would rather be voted out by my colleagues here in parliament for trying to protect some girls than voted out by the Danish people for turning a blind eye.”