Denmark's Closing Door

Adirazak Mohamud fled to Denmark a year-and-a-half ago from his native Somalia. He dreams of finding work as a bus driver and bringing his wife and baby daughter to live with him in Copenhagen. But new Danish laws may dash those dreams. The government has proposed a series of legal changes that will make it harder for refugees like him to get permanent residence in Denmark and will slash welfare payments to newcomers. "The new law is bad for us," Mohamud says. "If there is no money and no job, I'll have no choice but to return home."

That's precisely...