Assisted Return

When I was in Oslo last week I noticed interesting government advertisements on their metro system. The same message was repeated in various languages, stating "Assisted return. Apply now. New rules from September 1." Not much else needed to be said by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) as the intent was clear -- we'll pay you to get out.

Euro-style American Colonization Society

Immigrants makes up 15.6% of the population in Norway as of the beginning of 2015, including children born in Norway to two immigrant parents. Roughly half (though quickly decreasing half) of these immigrants are from neighboring European countries, including Sweden, Estonia, and Poland.

In the abstract, I tend to like the idea of open boarders as a way of improving people's lives and economic productivity. But it is clear that even with many open minded people and state support, volatility and resentment will rear its ugly head.

The first thing that came to mind upon seeing the Oslo poster shown above was the similarities to the old American Colonization Society (ACS). The purpose of the ACS was to free black slaves and repatriate them to Africa, which help founded the colony (and modern day country) of Liberia in 1821.

"Enlightened" gentlemen such as Thomas Jefferson were major proponents of this movement, even going so far as to raid the Virginia Literary Fund to find money for such ventures. I will look for the citation, but this fact struck me hard as an undergraduate taking Virginia History. Jefferson was known, however, for using the Virginia Literary Fund for his own projects.

"On February 21, 1818, the Virginia legislature passed "An Act Appropriating Part of the Revenue of the Literary Fund, and for other Purposes," which set aside $45,000 annually to support elementary schools and $15,000 annually to support the University of Virginia[....] The annual amount appropriated under the Act was insufficient to meeting the University's construction costs."

  An act passed the following year gave UVA the power of the Literary Fund's purse, it:

"gave the Visitors [of UVA] the authority to draw money from the literary fund, and to regulate the tuition fees paid by students and the amount of rent charged for occupying the University's student dormitories. The Professors received a standing salary drawn from the Literary Fund endowment."

The Literary Fund originally had 25% of its budget siphoned off for UVA, which soon expanded so much as to effectively end Virginia's public elementary school system. The Literary 'Slush' Fund could then be used to support the American Colonization Society.

Paying to remove "less desirable" neighbors is the natural solution for the racist who finds himself conflicted with personal ideals about human rights. Germany's openness for refugees may be genuine, but I'm afraid such assisted return programs will be the first step in a degenerative bout of xenophobia.