How Denmark Beat Mass Immigration
Denmark Flag
Michael McManus
Open-borders apologists usually portray mass migration as an unstoppable force that national governments are powerless to stop. However, Denmark has shown that good policies can and do reduce mass immigration and protect a country’s economy. The Scandinavian nation has drawn a line in the sand and has kept the migration–related problems like gang violence seen in neighboring countries to a minimum.
One important policy is strict limits on family reunification. Arranged marriages with spouses from diaspora countries of origin are a major driver of immigration into Europe. These marriages frequently see young girls with no education and limited language skills being forcibly married off. This frequently results in welfare dependency and an increased fiscal burden on taxpayers. To counter this, Danish law requires that the spouse/fiancé be at least 24 years-old and that they attend mandatory Danish language and integration classes. There is also a requirement that financial sponsors earn more than the welfare rate and that the home they will live be is large enough to support a family.
During the migrant crisis of 2015 and 2016, when over 1.5 million Middle Eastern, African, and other migrants headed for Europe, many were bound for Denmark. Copenhagen then announced it would cut the welfare payments to asylum seekers by $750 per month. As news filtered through the migrants’ cellphone chat groups, they made the decision to go to Sweden instead as Sweden was still open to all (they have since seen the light in this respect.) The migrants candidly told a Danish TV crew that the announcement of cut welfare was the thing that made them abandon plans to go to Denmark and head to Sweden instead.
https://www.fairus.org/blog/2024/05/10/how-denmark-beat-mass-immigration
