Maro SIRANOSIAN
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The Sandholm Center in Denmark is a former army barracks which was converted into an asylum center in the late 1980s. The center, located about 20km outside of Copenhagen, is the initial processing point for any individual seeking asylum in Denmark. Once processed, asylum seekers are usually transferred to other centers around Denmark. Sandholm houses those who await deportation or those whose cases include some kind of contact with the police due to use of false passports or false information provided during interviews with immigration. The center houses around 600 people at any given time and receives a quite constant flow of individuals seeking refuge from countries shaken by war, political unrest and hardship. Since Denmark tightened its immigration laws in 2001, fewer and fewer of these individuals will be granted permission to stay in the country.