Here is an article about Canada that tells readers that Canada has attractive asylum laws and as a result the word is spreading for economic migrants to head to North America. However, in listing countries closing their doors, the author suggests the US is not so welcoming anymore, but frankly I’ve seen no recent reduction in the number of immigrants the US is welcoming. In fact, the Obama Administration is shooting for the highest refugee quota in years.
The worst recession in a generation has already played havoc with the job market, housing prices and the banking system. Now it’s doing the same with something else: the worldwide movement of people.
The world’s wealthiest nations, from Japan to Spain to Australia, are cutting immigration targets to protect fragile labour markets and encouraging itinerant workers to leave. Only Canada has refused to adjust immigration levels in response to the downturn.
This outlier status has led to concern among border officials that the country’s sympathetic refugee system and generous social programs will make it a prime target for migrants rejected elsewhere.
A government intelligence document described as sensitive and not for public distribution warns that more migrants from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America could opt to come to Canada rather than Western Europe or the United States. The report refers to both legal applicants and those who try to enter illegally.
[….]
“Individuals who may not be fleeing persecution are drawn to Canada because of our overly generous asylum system,” Mr. Velshi said. Human trafficking rings in Canada and the Czech Republic, for example, were encouraging people to make refugee claims in Canada, he added.
So again the author lists examples of other countries closing doors, but has no figures to make a point that the US is taking in less immigrants.
As jobs disappear, host countries are lowering immigration quotas to trim welfare rolls and quell potential anti-immigrant feeling. They’re also bolstering immigration enforcement. Authorities in Italy and Spain, for example, have redoubled their efforts to expel undocumented workers and prevent boatloads of African migrants from reaching their shores. Japan announced plans to send home 400,000 South Americans of Japanese heritage to ease its labour market strain. Spain has returned 300,000 migrants and paid 6,000 others a special supplement to leave the country. Australia reduced its intake targets by nearly 15 per cent.
The only thing I can assume is that fewer asylum seekers may try to come to the US because we don’t have that wonderful magnet—an extensive welfare system with socialized medicine for all. That is, we don’t have it yet, but Obama is working on it!