Mattias Tesfaye

Mattias Tesfaye
Tesfaye in 2012
Minister for Children and Education
Incumbent
Assumed office
15 December 2022
Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen
Preceded byPernille Rosenkrantz-Theil
Minister of Justice
In office
2 May 2022 – 15 December 2022
Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen
Preceded byNick Hækkerup
Succeeded byPeter Hummelgaard
Minister for Immigration and Integration
In office
27 June 2019 – 2 May 2022
Prime MinisterMette Frederiksen
Preceded byInger Støjberg
Succeeded byKaare Dybvad
Member of the Folketing
Incumbent
Assumed office
18 June 2015
ConstituencyGreater Copenhagen
Personal details
Born (1981-03-31) 31 March 1981 (age 43)
Aarhus, Denmark
Political partySocial Democrats (2013-present)
Other political
affiliations		Socialist People's (2008-2013)
Red–Green Alliance (2005-2008)
Communist/Marxist-Leninist (1995-2005)
SpouseSigne Hagel Andersen
Children2

Mattias Tesfaye (born 31 March 1981) is a Danish politician serving as Minister for Education and Children since 2022. He was previously Minister for Justice from February to December 2022 and Minister for Immigration and Integration from 2019 to 2022, and has been member of the Folketing since the 2015 Danish general election as a member of the Social Democrats.

Background

He was born in Aarhus in 1981 to Tesfaye mammo (an Ethiopian refugee[1]) and Jytte Svensson, and is currently married to Signe Hagel Andersen. The couple has two children.[2]

Political career

Before he joined the Social Democrats in 2015 Tesfaye was a prominent member and former vice chairman of the Socialist People's Party. He has also previously been a member of both the Red–Green Alliance and the now defunct Communist Party of Denmark/Marxist–Leninists.[3] He was elected member of Folketinget for the Social Democrats in 2015.

Tesfayer was appointed Minister for Immigration and Integration in the Frederiksen Cabinet on 27 June 2019.[2][4] Under his leadership, Denmark’s government approached countries both in and outside the European Union about a potential asylum deal, including Tunisia and Ethiopia. Denmark also signed a diplomatic agreement with Rwanda on asylum and political matters.[5]

Political positions

On asylum rights, Tesfaye has a very restrictive position, setting the goal of Denmark having "no asylum seekers any more at all".[6]

References

  1. ^ "Why have Danes turned against immigration?". The Economist. 18 December 2021. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mattias Tesfaye (S)". Ft.dk. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Mattias Tesfaye er nu socialdemokrat". information.dk (in Danish). 27 January 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  4. ^ Deleuran Müller, Thea (27 June 2019). "Danmarks nye regering er nu på plads: Se hele Mette Frederiksens ministerhold her". dr.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  5. ^ Nikolaj Skydsgaard and Terje Solsvik (20 April 2022), Denmark in talks with Rwanda on transfer of asylum-seekers Reuters.
  6. ^ tagesschau.de. "Dänische Regierung verschärft Zuwanderungspolitik". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 19 March 2021.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Immigration and Integration
2019–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Justice
2022–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent