danish migrants
Danish police made use of a controversial law allowing them to confiscate valuables from asylum seekers for the first time since the legislation was passed.

Police seized the equivalent of 79,600 kroner ($11,875) from five Iranian citizens, according to an e-mailed statement on Thursday. The people had tried to enter Denmark via Copenhagen airport using "false documents," police said. The three women and two men had a total of 129,600 kroner in cash with them, police said.

The law, which was passed earlier this year, led to international condemnation at the time with the Guardian depicting Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen as a Nazi. Danish businesses urged lawmakers to act to stem the backlash.

The Danish parliament in January gave its final approval to a series of measures designed to deter migrants from heading to Denmark. These include delaying family reunifications from one to three years, a law that has been heavily criticized by the United Nations Refugee Agency.