A more human refugee policy

On 19 August, Ny Tid SV presented as runners-up for the right-wing's extremely strict immigration policy. This is completely distorted and incorrect.

SV is the party of the movements, which is why SV's refugee and immigration policy is also formulated in close dialogue with organizations such as the Norwegian Refugee Council, NOAS, Save the Children, OMOD, JUSS BUSS, the Norwegian Bar Association and the minority organizations working on refugee and immigration issues. We are even working on integration and diversity policy. This does not mean that the organizations should be held accountable for decisions we make regarding our own policies, but we are concerned with input from talented professionals.

SV's results

The interaction has borne several fruits:

In 2004, in collaboration with the asylum children's organization SOHO, PRESS, Save the Children and the Norwegian Bar Association, we had a breakthrough for allowing children who had lived at least 3 years in asylum reception to stay. This made life easier and the future brighter for a number of children who had lived too long in uncertainty.

In cooperation with the Vietnamese environment, we have resolved the case to 100 boat refugees who had been living involuntarily for 15 years in the Philippines. And together with a unified Solidarity Movement and the Center for Ethnic Discrimination, we were pressured by the Government to create a housing offer for asylum seekers with final refusal, although we were not fully supported.

After four years of work, together with NOAS, SOS Racism and the UDI (!), We have pushed the Government to leave most of the Iraqi Kurds, who came in 1998-1999. Admittedly not everyone and not on the terms we wanted, but they get to stay.

Well helped by the unfortunate tram-killing on Line 17 in Oslo, we finally got the Government turned so that they finally agreed to create asylum centers with psychiatric expertise. A month earlier, Erna Solberg had prioritized it in her budgets. It took a kill to change her mind.

In addition, in many cases we have asked Minister Solberg about various principles of Norwegian refugee and asylum policy. It has been about gender-based persecution, the return of the blind and the injured, the return to countries where the UNHCR recommends the opposite, etc.

The collaboration with Sp.-Ap.

SV has also joined the Center Party and has in several cases, well helped by the AUF, received the Labor Party in a course change in some cases.

We stand together to reverse many of the Government's anti-refugee changes: If we three parties win the election, Norwegian language training will be reintroduced for adult asylum seekers from 1 January 2006. From the same time, people who are granted residence on humanitarian grounds will bring their families to Norway. will receive an integration scheme instead of having to wait three years as under the blue-yellow regime. The refugee quota earmarked for UN resettlement refugees will again be increased from 1000 to 1500, so SV will continue to fight to double the quota to 3000 by 2009 in the negotiations with the other parties.

In addition, we will implement new improvements. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children shall be followed up by the child welfare service and have the same legal protection and rights as Norwegian children in the same situation. The au pairs' working conditions and rights will be reviewed and improved. Family reunification of the refugees with residence on humanitarian grounds, will again be allowed to come to Norway and receive integration schemes. Asylum seekers who cannot be returned must have their cases re-evaluated after a certain time. In addition, all our proposals to prevent social dumping.

SV's election promises

If we in SV get approval for what we go to the polls on, Norway will always, as a minimum, follow the UN's recommendations in asylum matters, something this government does not do.

• We want a regulated right to protection on the basis of gender-based persecution, and elaborate on what we mean by human considerations so that more people would receive protection in this country.
• Thousands of foreign citizens who have lived in Norway for a long time will, just like in Sweden, have the opportunity to choose Norwegian citizenship in addition to their previous one, and only after 5 years.
• We want to give all those we could not send out, a legal status that clarifies their rights to subsistence, health care and work permits.
• We will check the return of asylum seekers with rejection to be absolutely sure that we do not commit injustice.
• We will let independents review the practice of the UDI's country department.
• We will allow more asylum seekers to have their cases processed in full tribunal, as was the intention when the Immigration Appeals Board was established, as well as to create more transparency around the UDI and UNE's practice.
• We will provide the opportunity to seek asylum at selected embassies in conflict areas, and set aside part of the UN quota for refugees with families in Norway.
• We will open up for some more labor immigration from countries outside the EEA area, in collaboration with the parties in working life.
• We want to provide Norwegian language training to all working immigrants and increase the number of hours for those who already receive it.
• We will start voluntary organizations to create integration schemes and guidance as an offer also to all the 55 who come for reasons other than that they have fled.
• We want to strengthen legal certainty for those who today have their cases processed according to the 48-hour procedure and strengthen legal assistance for all asylum seekers.
• We will give the courts the task of considering the deportation of refugees instead of the UDI, and remove the punishment for people who, without paying for it, help others to flee to Norway.
• We will lower the maintenance requirement for people who want children and spouse to Norway, from approx. 167 kroner to 000. And we want to remove it for those who follow a course of study, so that the measure, which was introduced to combat forced marriage, in practice does not prevent young people from taking education.
• We will give a permanent residence permit from day one for everyone who comes to Norway for family reunification, instead of only after 3 years as today, so people do not have to fear eviction if they leave a marriage before that time.
• We will review visa practices, so that people living in Norway can be visited by friends and relatives, instead of having their visa applications rejected as 70 percent of Pakistanis who apply to visit Norway receive today.
• And not least, we want to give the nuclear opponent Morderchai Vanunu political asylum for foreign policy reasons.

All this will make the world better for foreigners, be it asylum seekers, refugees or others. And Norwegians.

The New Time debate

In most of the cases, we have received more help to set the agenda from Klassekampen than from Ny Tid, which prefers to broadly support SV's proposal to give the police the right to keep people in Trandum 72 hours in connection with the deportation of foreigners. Foreigners who either do not have a legal residence permit, have been expelled or deported for other reasons, or have been finally refused asylum.

The proposal was put forward together with 4 support proposals for people with a final refusal of asylum. With some objections, the SV group believed that it was right to give the police this room for maneuver in connection with the deportation of people who do not have the right to remain in the country. Because, as I assume that Ny Tid is aware, many of those who are deported will remain in the Immigration Prison at Trandum for more than XNUMX hours today, but then voluntarily or by the police presenting it to the courts daily.

Exactly one proposal was never voted on, however, but was withdrawn by the undersigned, who was the proposer because Juss-Buss and NOAS had critical objections and wanted the matter properly clarified in a consultation round, which of course we said yes to. So much for SV's dark side!

It is good to discuss whether it is right to keep foreign nationals who refuse to travel voluntarily detained for up to 72 hours in connection with deportation. It is important to shed light on the fact that we in Norway have an immigration prison run by the police and guards on the basis of a single section of the Immigration Act. The person who has sat there the longest has been sitting for 8 months without a sentence.

But our most important task is to show that immigration policy can be pursued offensively and with perspectives, instead of just protesting when austerity measures take place. That there is so much more than a narrow discussion about asylum seekers, but also politics that concern Norwegians and all foreigners who live in this country directly and on a daily basis. There are several of us who have a job to do.