. >> reporter: when zarif abdella and her four small children arrived in denmark she had nothing left. we used to have everything, she said, house, cars, jewelry. we had to sell it all before she left raqqa, syria. now under the new law, the danish government can seize any cash and valuables worth more than $1,500 to help pay for her family upkeep. she left her husband behind in turkey and it makes seeing him much harder. it blocks migrants from bringing immediate family members to denmark for at least three years. nicola ben-dixon said delaying a family reunion is just cruel. >> making a law like this is so cynical and so evil. it is, i don't really, i don't know how you can do things like >> reporter: denmark is struggling to cope with an influx of more than 20,000 refugees last year. one of the highest per capita in europe. politician marcus knute. >> this is a deterrent? >> you could put it that way. it sound very tough. alternative is that we simply don't have enough empty beds, we don't have enough space, we can't look after the people who come here. >> reporter: the government

. >> reporter: when zarif abdella and her four small children arrived in denmark she had nothing left. we used to have everything, she said, house, cars, jewelry. we had to sell it all before she left raqqa, syria. now under the new law, the danish government can seize any cash and valuables worth more than $1,500 to help pay for her family upkeep. she left her husband behind in much harder. it blocks migrants from bringing immediate family members to denmark for at least three years. nicola b b-dixon said delaying a family reunion is just cruel. >> making a law like this is so cynical and so evil. it is, i don't really, i don't know how you can do things like thth. >> reporter: denmark is struggling to cope with an influx of more than 20,000 refugees last year. one of t t highest per capita in europe. politician marcus knute. >> this is a deterrent? >> you could put it that way. it sound very tough. alternative is that we simply don't have enough empty beds, we don't haha enough space, we can't look after the people who come here. >> reporter: the government says making migrants help