Migrants have a problematic past
In its statement, the NA faction states that the EU’s new migration pact, although it foresees a series of necessary reforms, does not sufficiently address the causes of migration, and also imposes ineffective regulation on the member states. “This pact aims to unify the system for migrants entering the country. The country reviews and rejects migrants’ applications so they cannot try to re-enter through the next country. Unified databases are being created. Smoother deportation procedures and deportation to the countries of origin are also planned,” says Saeima member Jānis Dombrava (NA) in a conversation with “Neatkarīgo”.
But there are downsides. Several countries have opposed them. “We have brought up the issues in Latvia as well,” said Dombrava, “and they are problems that we brought up already in 2014/2015. year. We are talking about mandatory quotas. Countries are supposed to be forced to take in a certain number of people. At some point, the European Union may decide that Latvia should receive, for example, 10,000 migrants a year. Then we will have no choice. Ethnically and socially, it would cause us very big problems.”
But an alternative has been proposed: for each unaccepted migrant, the state contributes 20,000 euros to the common fund. “We could only dream that such sums are allocated to the most vulnerable population groups,” Dombrava quips. He believes: “Latvia would be put in front of a choice – take in 10,000 migrants or pay a certain amount of money into the common pot, in this case 200 million euros every year. Such steps have huge financial and security implications. A large part of those migrants who arrived in 2015 had a problematic past – they had committed terrorist acts, radicalized society, etc. Do we need it all? In a situation where we have enough of our own problems? I don’t think we need it.”
He believes that Latvia should show solidarity with those countries that stick to a negative position regarding migrants. “All means must be used to fight against such nonsense imposed by the EU. A strong border guard, a strong and consistent return policy, a unified database must be created,” said Dombrava. NA advanced the draft decision, but – as already said – the coalition rejected it.
Migrants increase crime rates
Apparently, not only “Jaunā vietība”, but also ZZS and “Progresīvie” adhere to theses expressed a year ago by the then Minister of Welfare Evika Siliņa (JV): “Workforce from third countries should be given the opportunity to receive a work permit throughout LV, not only for a specific job gave. We can improve it so that people want to go to LV in general. We need people who shape the labor market and improve demography.”
It is not clear why migrants should want to go here. But the sexy allusion to “improving demographics” is abundantly clear. Prime Minister Siliņa has neither corrected nor denied these words until now. So – everything is valid! I want to ask Mrs. Silina: what demographic are you thinking about? If I understand correctly, migrants from Nigeria, Kenya, Syria, Morocco and the Republic of Mumbujumbu should now take care of the revival of the Latvian people?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel had similar rhetoric, whose biggest “success” was letting millions of migrants into Germany. The results were dire: crime rates, including sex crimes, rose sharply. But Silina continues. “We need to be a little more open, not so fearful,” said Siliņa, assessing people’s concerns about the possible influx of migrants. Well, we see what this “openness” has done to Germany, Sweden and other countries full of migrants.
“On the issue of migration, the position of “New Unity” has always seemed strange to me. At the beginning, they carefully followed what Merkel was saying and thinking, repeating her whims, instead of joining those countries that opposed the migration policy,” said Dombrava. It should be noted that these countries are Poland, Hungary, Malta, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
Dombrava hopes that this issue of migration policy will pass to the new European Parliament, where changes are still expected: “I think the new parliament will be much more critical towards all migration issues.”
Get tougher on Russia
Saeima member Ainars Latkovskis (JV) is more tolerant towards the migration pact. “This pact corresponds to the objective situation. Latvia, let’s be frank, is making concessions because we have been threatened by Russia through Belarus for some time. If these refugee flows increase, it is in our interest that migrants do not stay here, but are directed to another country,” said Latkovskis.
He does not believe that the EU could force us to take in 10,000 migrants a year: “We are not a federal state. It is not uncommon for some violations to be initiated, sometimes we give in, initiate the violation procedure and try to defend ourselves. We don’t always pay fines.”
Latkovskis says: “Finally, Europe has agreed that migrants will not be let in straight away, but there will be special camps, such as safety valves, but they should not be called filtration centers. The European left was furious at the beginning, they did not want to support it. These camps will have strict rules, fingerprinting, etc. I think the EU should be more strict against Russia, which contributes to the increase in refugee flows.”
And why not apply? “Do you remember how long it took for Macron to realize that from the original goal – to prevent Ukraine from losing – to a completely different goal: to help Ukraine win. A year and a half,” Latkovskis recalls. Apparently, the European Union has a long neck: it takes a long time for the necessary signal to reach the brain. Therefore, it is possible that the signal about the need for migrants will one day also reach the brains of the EU rulers.
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