Migrants and Refugees
An immigration and refugee policy that promotes integration
Solving the refugee and migrant crisis can only be done via an international and binding collaboration wherein Denmark needs to play an active role and respect the international conventions at all times.
From a historical perspective, there are record numbers of displaced people. However, the current asylum system is nowhere near fair or appropriate. Among other things, it helps to support a human smuggling industry that exploits the misfortunes of others and where refugees are facing violence and assault or losing their lives crossing the Mediterranean.
Many of those who have come to Denmark have been successfully integrated. They have learned to speak Danish, they go to work and they are an active part of the local communities and make significant contributions to our society that we cannot do without.
At the same time, there are still challenges associated with making integration work everywhere. Too many immigrants and refugees are not participating in the labour market. In particular, this applies to women who have come to Denmark as adults.
We are also increasingly living separate lives instead of living in integrated communities. It creates distrust when children of different backgrounds do not go to the same schools and when housing sectors with a lot of immigrants are also socially vulnerable areas.
We do not need symbolic politics, we need real solutions that work to solve real life integration issues.
A new Government will pursue a responsible immigration and refugee policy, which will take a more active approach towards promoting integration and the lives of children and their opportunities to take an active part in Danish society.
A new Government will:
Social democracy stands for a foreign policy that is both fair and realistic. A foreign policy that unites Denmark.
https://www.socialdemokratiet.dk/da/politik/udlaendingepolitik/asyl-antallet-har-en-betydning/
Integration Policy: The New Freedom struggle
THE NEW FREEDOM STRUGGLE. Integration policy is not just about learning the Danish language and becoming part of the labor market. It is just as much a matter of sharing the basic values of our society.
Integration policy: Part of society
Integration policy is not just about learning the Danish language and becoming part of the labor market. It is just as much a matter of sharing the basic values of our society.
Many have entered Denmark without becoming part of Denmark. Social Democracy will change that.
Integration policy is not just about language and work. It is at least as much about values and cultural barriers. We as a society have long believed that if only those who came here learned the language and got a job, then they would also share our values. And fortunately, many do. But, unfortunately, there are too many who are ideological opponents of our democracy and societal values and who oppose it wherever they can.
They are destroying more than probably many integration projects can ever fix.
Throughout history, social democracy has fought the barriers and inequalities that keep people in an unfair existence. In Denmark, we have secured women’s voting rights, taken a stand with patriarchal societal structures and given the gay right to be ecclesiastically devoted. When it comes to creating a society that sets people free, we have come a long way in Denmark over the last 100 years. This is primarily due to the expansion of our welfare model. Free and equal access to health. Education for all and a flexible labor market. Caring when you get old. It provides security. And thus real freedom to create the life you want.
Many have entered Denmark without becoming part of Denmark
Too many have been granted asylum and have entered Denmark without becoming part of Denmark. It squeezes the cohesiveness. When many non-Western immigrants – not least women – go home instead of working, it does not only mean that they find it harder to make a living in Danish society. It also has financial consequences. According to the Ministry of Finance, the public net expenditure on non-western immigrants and descendants was DKK 33 billion in 2014.
Freedom for the individual – created by and in a community
Denmark is based on the fact that we have a strong community. A community that everyone feels obligated to be a part of and contribute to. Because we have expectations for each other. And because we create a common understanding of who we are as a country and as a people. And what community we want.
Many foreigners have become an integral part of Danish society. Because they speak the language, are at work or otherwise contribute, and because they share our values. They are Danes just like everyone else. Because they have wanted it themselves, fought for it and because we as a society have given them the opportunity.
Unfortunately, some of the non-western immigration to Denmark has also meant that today we have areas in our country where freedom does not exist for everyone. Where you are not part of a Danish community. And where the consequences of social control are deeply disturbing. Forced marriages, honor killings, violence, pressure to wear a scarf, re-enactment journeys, ban on going to leisure activities. All that is going on in Denmark.
It is first and foremost a struggle for and with the many new Danes who share the Danish values and who, more than anything else, would like to be part of our society. But that is being prevented by their families and the environments that they are part of. That is why it is also a struggle for our democracy. And because religion is always subordinate to our democracy.
Integration policy is also a struggle for mixed schools, mixed neighborhoods, and mixed communities. Because the alternative is parallel society, which makes integration somewhat near impossible. In parallel societies, other norms and rules exist than those in the rest of society. And extreme minorities can unmistakably preach hatred and resentment towards Danish society and other religions.
Social democracy wants an integration policy where more people must contribute to our society. Therefore, we will introduce a duty to contribute for immigrants on cash assistance and integration benefit, equivalent to normal work for 37 hours a week.
This is not an easy task we are facing. And it is not solved with a single proposal or right away. Not least, this requires that we become more clear about the values that apply in Denmark.
Here, the answer should be simple: Either they become part of Denmark, with everything it entails. About contributing to society and supporting our basic democratic values. Or they find another place to live that is more in line with their values.
Departure centre for those who have received deportation orders due to criminal convictions. A new Government will work towards ensuring that criminals with a deportation order are sent out of Denmark faster than what is currently the case. A new Government will launch an investigation of where best to place such individuals while they remain in Denmark.
Immigration Policy
Asylum: The number has a significance
THE NUMBER HAS A MEANING. The number of non-Western foreigners who are granted asylum in Denmark has a bearing on how many we can integrate. Therefore, Denmark itself must be able to decide how many we will receive.
New asylum system: The number has a significance
The number has a meaning. The number of non-Western foreigners who are granted asylum in Denmark has a bearing on how many we can integrate. Therefore, in Denmark we must work to limit how many we receive.
Social democracy has a comprehensive plan that takes responsibility for Denmark and extends into the world. It is a plan that fully complies with international conventions. And a plan that can set a model for other European countries. Not least because the plan is based on the individual countries’ right to decide for themselves how many foreigners they can accept. And at the same time, support an international world order through the UN. Where the equitable distribution of refugees occurs by the countries receiving the number of allowable refugees that can be reasonably integrated.
Social democracy’s plan cannot be realized by Denmark alone. But the Social Democracy has the ambition that several countries in the EU join forces to set up reception centers. And we will work to ensure that the entire EU asylum system is organized on the same principles. So that asylum treatment takes place exclusively in safe countries outside Europe. And that the influx into the EU is regulated through the UN’s quota refugee scheme.
We are in a historic refugee and migrant crisis. More than 60 million people have fled from war and unrest. At the same time, more and more migrants are seeking a better life in Europe, but unfortunately the journey often ends unhappily. In just three years, more than 10,000 children, women and men have drowned in the Mediterranean, while cynical traffickers make billions in the misfortune of others. And those who cannot afford to escape are left behind.
Denmark must help when people are sent on the run. We always did, we do, and we must continue to do so. At the same time, demographic developments in Africa and climate change in themselves will mean that migration pressure on Europe will only grow in the coming decades. We have to deal with that. And we must remember that our current asylum system is not designed for a permanent migration created by explosive population growth, poverty and climate change.
The basic challenge is that as long as spontaneous asylum in Europe can be demanded, people will continue to drown, human traffickers will be gilded while real refugees will fail. Therefore, it must be turned upside down. The current system is unsustainable, unfair, decidedly inhumane and too expensive.
In addition, the vast majority of the world’s refugees reside in the conflicts. This is where help is most needed. The way the current asylum system is organized creates a huge distortion of the many resources we spend on refugees and migrants. We spend more money on asylum seekers who are able to reach Europe’s borders with human traffickers, while allocating far fewer funds to the majority of the world’s most vulnerable and poor refugees in the surrounding areas. It is unsustainable. And that is profoundly unfair.
That is why we have been at the forefront of a dialogue on how to create a European asylum system that can cope with the persistent migration pressure on Europe’s borders. A system that not only helps those refugees who have the resources to reach our borders. And a system that breaks down the traffickers’ business model so that no one can profit from the deaths of thousands of people in the quest to reach Europe.
Social democracy’s goal is to help more and more. In a way where we simultaneously look after our own community. And in a way where we ensure that the resources we use on the world’s refugees are used, so that they reach the longest and help the most.
We believe that Denmark needs a coherent and long-term foreign policy. Where the basic direction is fixed and where no single element changes constantly. Our entire play is a presentation for discussion. We like to listen to other people’s good ideas. But we will insist on one thing: There is a need for broad and binding cooperation on long-term solutions. Denmark does not need the block policy and divide that has historically characterized the foreign policy. On the contrary.
Social democracy stands for a foreign policy that is both fair and realistic. A foreign policy that unites Denmark.
https://www.socialdemokratiet.dk/da/politik/udlaendingepolitik/asyl-antallet-har-en-betydning/
Integration Policy: The New Freedom struggle
THE NEW FREEDOM STRUGGLE. Integration policy is not just about learning the Danish language and becoming part of the labor market. It is just as much a matter of sharing the basic values of our society.
Integration policy: Part of society
Integration policy is not just about learning the Danish language and becoming part of the labor market. It is just as much a matter of sharing the basic values of our society.
Many have entered Denmark without becoming part of Denmark. Social Democracy will change that.
Integration policy is not just about language and work. It is at least as much about values and cultural barriers. We as a society have long believed that if only those who came here learned the language and got a job, then they would also share our values. And fortunately, many do. But, unfortunately, there are too many who are ideological opponents of our democracy and societal values and who oppose it wherever they can.
They are destroying more than probably many integration projects can ever fix.
Throughout history, social democracy has fought the barriers and inequalities that keep people in an unfair existence. In Denmark, we have secured women’s voting rights, taken a stand with patriarchal societal structures and given the gay right to be ecclesiastically devoted. When it comes to creating a society that sets people free, we have come a long way in Denmark over the last 100 years. This is primarily due to the expansion of our welfare model. Free and equal access to health. Education for all and a flexible labor market. Caring when you get old. It provides security. And thus real freedom to create the life you want.
Many have entered Denmark without becoming part of Denmark
Too many have been granted asylum and have entered Denmark without becoming part of Denmark. It squeezes the cohesiveness. When many non-Western immigrants – not least women – go home instead of working, it does not only mean that they find it harder to make a living in Danish society. It also has financial consequences. According to the Ministry of Finance, the public net expenditure on non-western immigrants and descendants was DKK 33 billion in 2014.
Freedom for the individual – created by and in a community
Denmark is based on the fact that we have a strong community. A community that everyone feels obligated to be a part of and contribute to. Because we have expectations for each other. And because we create a common understanding of who we are as a country and as a people. And what community we want.
Many foreigners have become an integral part of Danish society. Because they speak the language, are at work or otherwise contribute, and because they share our values. They are Danes just like everyone else. Because they have wanted it themselves, fought for it and because we as a society have given them the opportunity.
Unfortunately, some of the non-western immigration to Denmark has also meant that today we have areas in our country where freedom does not exist for everyone. Where you are not part of a Danish community. And where the consequences of social control are deeply disturbing. Forced marriages, honor killings, violence, pressure to wear a scarf, re-enactment journeys, ban on going to leisure activities. All that is going on in Denmark.
It is first and foremost a struggle for and with the many new Danes who share the Danish values and who, more than anything else, would like to be part of our society. But that is being prevented by their families and the environments that they are part of. That is why it is also a struggle for our democracy. And because religion is always subordinate to our democracy.
Integration policy is also a struggle for mixed schools, mixed neighborhoods, and mixed communities. Because the alternative is parallel society, which makes integration somewhat near impossible. In parallel societies, other norms and rules exist than those in the rest of society. And extreme minorities can unmistakably preach hatred and resentment towards Danish society and other religions.
Social democracy wants an integration policy where more people must contribute to our society. Therefore, we will introduce a duty to contribute for immigrants on cash assistance and integration benefit, equivalent to normal work for 37 hours a week.
This is not an easy task we are facing. And it is not solved with a single proposal or right away. Not least, this requires that we become more clear about the values that apply in Denmark.
Here, the answer should be simple: Either they become part of Denmark, with everything it entails. About contributing to society and supporting our basic democratic values. Or they find another place to live that is more in line with their values.
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