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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 19, 2023

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The main issue with immigration in most of Europe isn’t the laws on the books, it’s the utter inability to deport most people who are in the country illegally or semi-illegally (failed asylum seekers etc). The deportation apparatus doesn’t exist, deportations are subject to years of legal challenges, whole regions of the world are “too dangerous” to deport to or don’t have the appropriate level of relations with European countries (or just don’t want the listless young men back) and so on.

While the law needs changes, and incoming illegal immigration needs tackling, large scale deportation of those illegally in Europe is the biggest hurdle. In the US politicians openly declare they have zero intention of deporting all 15 million illegal immigrants, in Europe they say they want to but then just…don’t.

I recall a story about a guy being deported for rape and the whole plane protesting until he was released (and went on to murder someone else). If the population is clamoring for more "enrichment" how is mass deportation even plausible?

Seems there should be some suitably populous and miserable country that would accept them if you just paid them to take them... A la Australia and Papua New Ginea.

If you paid the Nigerian government 5k a head to take them off your hands they almost certainly would.

don’t have the appropriate level of relations with European countries, or just don’t want the listless young men back.

Correct, but you can't really force regimes like Assad or the Taliban to take them back as their countries are disasters anyway. They don't need more young people causing trouble. And while they might accept bribes, history has shown that such regimes often engage in double-dealing and backchannel smuggling to enrich themselves even after such deals are made.

In short, there is no easy solution to this problem even if the considerable liberal domestic opposition was overcome.

They don't need more young people causing trouble.

Neither do the countries these people are invading.

but you can't really force regimes like Assad or the Taliban to take them back

Yeah, you definitely can. At gun point. Load them up, ship them. Dump them. Country too "dangerous"? Not my problem.

but both those places are recovering, it would be weird for Taliban to say they cant take more people when they claim they are doing a good job.

And Syria actually looks better by the day.

I dont get why countries have to take hits socially/economically just so the people doing the damage dont suffer. Makes no sense at all.

it would be weird for Taliban to say they cant take more people when they claim they are doing a good job

Isn't there mass starvation in Afghanistan? The last thing they need are more people.

I read the comment as a statement that the Taliban would be forced into a political choice between taking more people and admitting that they're incompetent. I didn't really read it as a statement about the actual state of affairs of Afghanistan (except that it "recovering" seems to imply that it was worse before now).

@sliders1234 said he read an article about how they're doing okay-ish, but he never got around to posting it.

I think it would be absolutely possible to bribe Assad into taking them back without him immediately reneging on his commitment. Rapprochement between him and the West is already approaching. The Taliban situation is arguably different but even there negotiation is possible and ongoing, the US regularly meets with them in Qatar etc. Rwanda is also an option, deportations from the UK would be ongoing were it not for extensive legal challenges.

The main issue is that the deportations would be (or are) blocked by the ECHR and by years of legal proceedings.

The easy solution is ‘fly them to a poor but safe shithole in exchange for giving aid to said shithole’s President’s Swiss bank account after helping him win re-election with more votes than voters’.

Yes, and it’s more than possible, Rwanda already agreed to the UK’s plan. It’s domestic (or regional ie ECHR) courts that prevent this happening on a larger scale or at all.