Because our illegal immigration and border issues have gotten so far out of hand, we can sometimes forget that we're not the only country dealing with this problem. Europe has struggled with foreign refugees for years because the European Union (EU) won't stop allowing them in.
But one nation is fighting back. Sweden is mulling over the idea of paying migrant families to leave the country.
"The Scandinavian country was for decades seen as a 'humanitarian superpower' but over the years has struggled to integrate many of its newcomers," reports Fortune. "Immigrants who voluntarily return to their countries of origin from 2026 would be eligible to receive up to 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000), the government, which is propped up by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, told a press conference."
Under the current grant program, which has been in place for 40 years, immigrants can receive 10,000 kronor ($979.92 as of this writing) per adult and 5,000 kronor per child ($489.96), with a ceiling of 40,000 kronor ($3919.70). Officials say that the current grant flies so under the radar that only one person applied for it last year. Needless to say, this new proposal is a windfall compared to what was available to entice migrants to leave.
Prior Swedish governments viewed immigration as a humanitarian problem for the country to solve, and Sweden took in refugees from global hotspots like the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, and Iraq. By the mid-2010s, Sweden was taking in more asylum seekers per capita than any other European country.
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The current coalition government, led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, came to power in 2022, promising to crack down on immigration. The onslaught of refugees has created both a crime problem and a strain on Sweden's already extensive welfare state, which is why the government wants to target immigrants for incentives to leave the country.
“We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in our migration policy,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell said to reporters as he announced the new grant plan.
Fortune reports that Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats said the incentive "would most likely appeal to the several hundred thousand migrants who were either long-term unemployed, jobless or whose incomes were so low they needed state benefits to make ends meet."
Another factor leading the charge in this initiative is migrants' refusal to integrate. Officials hope the grants send the message that immigrants who don't assimilate into Swedish culture aren't welcome. Other nations are already trying similar plans, but none of them are as generous as what Sweden plans to offer.
"Other European countries also offer grants as an incentive for migrants to return home," Fortune points out. "Denmark pays more than $15,000 per person, compared to around $1,400 in Norway, $2,800 in France and $2,000 in Germany."
In addition to the financial incentives, the Swedish government wants to make it easier to kick immigrants out for substance abuse, criminal and gang activity, and "statements threatening Swedish values." It all sounds promising, but I can't help but wonder if it will entice immigrants to flock to Sweden just to take the money and run.
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