A few notes on immigration

A small discussion here on MajorityRights.com has thrown a few thoughts in my face worthy of a few words on my behalf: Immigration - how to handle?

The ideology is simple and clear on the subject: Open borders across the world! Free flow of people according to the laws of supply and demand! No restrictions for law-abiding people in search of jobs and happiness!

That being said the reality-check comes with full throttle and questions are asked: What about ethnic backgrounds? Do I not care about the color of my skin? Am I not threatening the very society I live in by opening up its borders to people from other cultural and religious areas? Have I not read the statistics where it shows that young criminals are more often than not people with other ethnic backgrounds than the native one?

The reality-check is not a shocker for the ideology. As an Icelander living and working, and previously studying, in Denmark I see two very different social-systems ("welfare"-systems as some call it) work in two very different ways. The Danish have from the very start pushed social-checks into the pockets of immigrants of all backgrounds, gathered them into special housing-projects, put restrictions on them when it comes to seeking jobs, and hoped for the best. The obvious result: A large group of relatively isolated first, second and third generation immigrants who hardly speak the language after 30 years of staying in the country, with crime-committing teenagers and oppressed, cloak-wearing women at the mercy of their husbands.

Iceland has no such problems even though it also has a large percentage of its inhabitants today with another origin than Icelandic/Nordic. Iceland does not have the generous social-system of the other Nordic-countries. Iceland has a flexible hire-and-fire job-market which has hardly seen unemployment in many years. The thousands of immigrants in Iceland know the only way to survive in Iceland is to work, and that's about it. A couple of groups of trouble-making teenagers with yellow skin have been used as an example for the need to restrict more, but that's not convincing. A couple of examples of arranged marriages within the Muslim-society of Iceland has also been used as a reason to restrict, but still not convincing. All in all the immigration of non-white immigrants runs smoothly in Iceland. Seeing the situation in Denmark does nothing but confirm that notion of mine.

I'm an immigrant!
Being an immigrant in Denmark is an interesting experience. I had to learn the language in order to get a job outside the cleaning-sector (and I very much wanted to do that, having a degree in engineering and all). I had to find a job to be able to pay off student-debts, rent etc. (social-checks don't cover such expenses in my case). Sure, someone might say that in my case everything is different because I'm a Nordic-person who likes the domestic beer and knows that women are equal to men by law. But if I hadn't learned the language I would have been forced to isolate myself to other Icelanders in Denmark, sharing entirely what they have to offer, and settled for a job in the service-industry. Me and Abdul from Iran are not any different in that respect.

But what about opening up all borders tomorrow and let anyone who wants wander into the land of riches? That should be the goal, yes, but as long as the system is a system of free social-checks and high unemployment, no such goals can be reached. Helping the poor of the world become rich should be step number one. Rich and free people are more reluctant to leave their families and friends behind than the poor and desperate. Few Icelanders care to move to Denmark and look for a job (me being a rare exception). Few Germans care to move to Sudan. The stream is in the other direction and that should be a lesson to learn.