Prime Minister Erna Solberg asks bishops and others to think about the signal they send when they agree to “Christmas amnesty” and take a break in the return of those who have not been granted asylum.
Last week during the Bishops’ Conference they requested a break in asylum dispatches, and the Presiding Head Bishop, Helga Byfuglien took part in a torchlit march and said that the return practice creates unrest, writes the newspaper Dagbladet.
In a pre-Christmas interview the Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that she is familiar with the criticism with regards to this political policy from when she was the former Immigration Minister, and she does not mind the involvement, but she also has some questions for those who want to stop the returns.
– To those that criticize, do you think that we should not dispatch those who have been denied asylum? I realize that it is brutal to remove someone during the night. The problem is that we know from experience that people go underground, says Solberg.
– When we say that we should have a strict but fair asylum policy, it is because we have to have sustainability in the Norwegian society in the future.
We must ensure that those who come here, are provided with adequately follow up, and when they come, that they are provided employment opportunities. To return persons who have been rejected asylum and are not in need of protection, is incredibly important, she continues.
Solberg is calling for balance and believes that the return policy works, and is required to combat workplace crime, among other reasons.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
