By Allison Garvey
The world's Nordic neighbors, the Swedes, have long cultivated the reputation as the "nice guys" in the world of politics. With a history of pacifism and avoidance of war, they have been rewarded with a society with peaceful dispositions coupled with serene geography that has been a picturesque safe haven for creativity and family. That reputation is being tested lately as Sweden finds its wide open door policies for war refugees being rescinded. Tough decisions are being made and they aren't easy for the citizenry or the new immigrants.
The country experienced unprecedented levels of migrants last year with 190,000 refugees fleeing their homelands to come to Sweden. Those seeking asylum have been hoping they were going to achieve a permanent move. However, government officials have since refined their liberal immigration policy. Under extreme pressure, as floods of foreigners seeking amnesty settle in Sweden, the country's infrastructure is being stretched to its limits. Even at current levels, resources are thin. It has become startlingly obvious that the enormous new population influx is unsustainable for the health of the country.
According to the Swedish Migration Agency the country received 112000 asylum applications between the months of August and November—breaking all of Sweden’s previous records of immigration. According to the Washington Post, this number totaled near 160,000 in November when restrictions on border control and identification began to be enforced with a bit of spillover through the last weeks of 2015.
The migrant flow is being restricted even though many refugees are able to pull their weight as contributors to the nation. The Swedish Public Employment Service (SPES) is the governmental agency responsible for training, matching and assigning refugees to jobs in the country. With many refugees entering the country with backgrounds in medicine, engineering and other dynamic fields, some say the influx of skills is only a benefit to the country. Alternatively, according to the BBC, others, such as Sweden’s Democrat party, view immigrants as a hindrance to the country’s long-term health.
It is more than economic ramifications at play though. The overriding question remains of whether Sweden has the infrastructure to support these refugees. If the whole of the structure is unsustainable, it matters little what individuals can contribute.
"We always take great pride in accommodating people in a dignified way,” said Mikael Ribbenvik, director of operations for the Migration Board, Sweden's government body in charge of caring for asylum seekers. “But we had to report on several occasions that we just couldn’t handle the situation." This unfortunate situation would become commonplace rather than out of the norm if Sweden’s central government failed to step in with some kind of structure for the asylum process. It's possible that the burdens are too great, too many too quickly, for any government program to handle.
How will Sweden's culture and way of life change as the floods of migrants move from heated cots in rural fields to demands for long-term support? Then there are questions of the desire of the citizenry to support so many newcomers with the generous welfare systems such as exists in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Is this welfare state the motivation for the immigration, and is this the underlying reason for the exodus of some migrants?
These issues seem as familiar as the common safety instructions received when traveling on an airplane -- “please place the oxygen mask on yourself before helping others.” If the demand begins to surpasses the ability of the country to survive while supplying the expected services, if the economy and social structure begins to weaken, and weaken rapidly, there will be some critical decisions made on who and what survives. The regenerative and invigorating positives that come from immigration will be tested mightily as nations such as Sweden have to grapple with their welcoming history of the past and the new overwhelming conditions of supply and demand.
Allison Garvey is a student at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
