What is remigration, the far-right fringe idea going mainstream?

US and European Far-Right Circles Explore Concept of Remigration

A growing trend among some Republican circles in the United States and far-right leaders in Europe is exploring the idea of remigration, which involves forcibly removing non-white immigrants from traditionally white countries. The concept has its roots in Nazi Germany’s late 1930s attempts to “remigrate” Jews to Madagascar.

Renaud Camus, a French novelist, popularized the Great Replacement conspiracy theory in his 2011 book, Le Grand Remplacement. This theory suggests that elites are replacing white Christians in the West with non-white people through mass migration and demographic changes. The term remigration has been adopted by some far-right groups, including Austria’s Identitarian Movement, which promotes ethnonationalist ideology.

Heidi Beirich, an expert on American and European far-right movements, notes that remigration is a relatively new concept in these circles. Martin Sellner, the leader of the Identitarian Movement, has been promoting this idea as a policy solution to the Great Replacement conspiracy theory. According to Beirich, remigration advocates for the forced removal of non-white people from historically white countries.

In contrast, civic nationalists define the nation by shared political values, laws, and institutions, regardless of ethnicity. They believe that a person belongs to a country if they hold legal citizenship and are committed to the state’s principles. While civic nationalists may support voluntary return migration policies or incentives for immigrants to return to their country of origin, they do not advocate for forced removal.

The concept of remigration has gained traction in some Republican circles, with reports suggesting that the US State Department was considering creating a department of remigration earlier this year. The Department of Homeland Security also posted online in favor of remigration. However, it is essential to note that these ideas are not universally accepted and have been widely debunked by experts.

As President Donald Trump’s second term enters its final weeks, the idea of remigration continues to gain attention among some far-right leaders in Europe and the United States. It remains to be seen how this concept will evolve and impact immigration policies in both regions.

Source: Al Jazeera