Denmark, a nation of less than six million, is experiencing an enormous annual financial loss due to non-Western immigration.
The Danish Ministry of Finance has released a 32-page audit on the actual cost of immigration in 2018. The Ministry calculated all the taxes paid by non-Western immigrants and substracted all expenses of the services they received. They found a net loss of $4.8 Billion.
The report classifies 55% of these immigrants as “MENAPT.” This means Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan, and Turkey.
The Ministry found that those in the MENAPT category cost the Danish government a net loss of $13k per person in 2018. However, non-Western immigrants from other parts of the world paid far more in taxes and received fewer services. These immigrants only cost the Danish government a net loss of about $625 per person in 2018.
The main reason for the difference is that non-MENAPT immigrants from outside of Europe primarily come to Denmark to work or attend school. MENAPT immigrants are mainly economic migrants who were attracted to Denmark for the welfare benefits. A large percentage of MENAPT immigrants are arrived as “irregular” migrants. These are people who entered the EU illegally and made their way to Denmark. Others have entered Denmark through family reunification programs.
Despite this high cost, the net loss due to immigration peaked at $6.5 Billion in 2015. Denmark has adopted some of the most strict immigration policies of any EU nation and has deported some irregular migrants.
The former immigration minister of Denmark, Inger Støjberg, wants to deport migrants who have committed a crime, failed to learn Danish, or failed to maintain steady employment. She has even proposed a goal of deporting 70% of irregular migrants by 2030. This proposal has made Inger Støjberg one of the most popular members of the Danish parliament. She is part of the centrist Venstre party. The Danish People’s Party and the Danish New Right also call for a dramatic increase in deportations.
The current immigration minister Mattias Tesfaye, who is half Somalian and half Danish. He represents the Social Democrats says the falling price tag for immigration proves new Danish policies are working. In the last election, the Social Democrats worked hard to re-invent themselves as a party that wanted to stop immigration. Tesfaye says he wants to require migrants to obtain 37 hours a week jobs to continue receiving benefits.
Tesfaye told a Danish newspaper, “I am happy it shows net spending on immigrants and descendants continues to fall. It’s good news. Strict immigration policy works. This is why the government wants to introduce a 37-hour work obligation, where there must be a close connection between the citizens’ efforts and benefits. We want to replace the existing benefits logic with a working logic.”
However, last month the Social Democrats voted to “impeach” Inger Støjberg over her handling of irregular migration in 2016. Social Democrats claim she violated Danish law by allegedly separating married couples at the Danish border. Støjberg had a policy of separating woman, who were under 18, from their alleged husbands. This is so an investigation could be held to determine if the women were victims of a forced marriage. Under Danish law, it is illegal for people to get married until they turn 18.
The trial began last week, which was the first time the Danish “Impeachment Court” has been used in 26 years. Critics say that the impeachment trial is purely political and not being held in good faith.
Since 2015, many irregular migrants have also left Denmark for Germany and Sweden, as benefits declined in Denmark.
