Taxi drivers checking passports in Denmark

Danish and German taxi drivers are in a dilemma as an appeal case about illegal immigration awaits judgement by the Supreme Court.

In the case, a German taxi driver has been found guilty in the lower courts of human smuggling after driving three illegal immigrants from Flensborg in Germany to Padborg in Denmark in January this year.

The Supreme Court judgement will determine whether taxi drivers will be forced to check passports when they drive customers across the border.

Passports
Although taxi companies believe the taxi driver acted in good faith, German taxi drivers have already begun checking papers when they have to cross the border.

“In fact we are not permitted to do so under German law. But this is our only possibility – despite the fact that we have no way of knowing whether the papers we are shown are false. We hope our colleague will eventually win his case so that we don’t have to continue to check papers,” says taxi owner and taxi spokesman Klaus Lange in Flensburg.

Danish taxi drivers are also confused, although they have not yet begun checking passports, despite having many fares to Malmö in Sweden.