virtual taboo on questions about the social and economic costs. In Norway, a strong tradition of free speech and efficient administration has produced a hard-nosed approach about which refugees, and how many, to take in.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has calculated that because of all the social, health, housing and welfare benefits mandated by the state, supporting a single refugee in Norway costs $125,000 enough to support some
26 Syrians in Jordan. And the Norwegian press has reported that following an alleged
terrorist threat from abroad in July, Norway’s immigration authorities deported asylum seekers who raised security concerns.
Unlike the
shunned by other Swedish parties, Norway’s own anti-immigration party, the populist Progress Party, has