Johan Forssell (M), Sweden’s Minister for Migration, confirms that a special group at the Government Offices of Sweden, together with several government agencies, will produce a situation report on how many illegal migrants are actually in Sweden.
– I don’t think it’s unjustified to estimate that hundreds of thousands of people are living in Sweden a permit, he says.
Forssell is also highly critical of opponents of the law on mandatory reporting for public employees, who refer to it as a “snitch law”, arguing that those who oppose it are often naive and uninformed.
– There is a naive hope among some that those whose asylum applications are rejected will be better off if they can stay in Sweden. But we know that many live in limbo under great vulnerability, he said in an interview with the Bonnier newspaper DN.
In short, the bill means that public sector employees will be obliged to report illegal migrants who are discovered to the relevant authorities.
A sharp turnaround
It has long been known that illegal immigration to Sweden is a major problem, but it has been very difficult to get a clear picture of how many migrants are in the country without the right to do so. The Swedish Tax Agency estimates that it could be up to 185,000 people, but it could also be significantly more or less than that.
The Moderates have previously, and especially during Fredrik Reinfeldt’s rule, pursued an almost limitless mass immigration policy where the number of residence permits granted also reached record levels – while critics were frequently dismissed as “racists”.
It also decided, together with its partners at the time, that illegal migrants also had the right to benefit from Swedish welfare services – such as tax-funded healthcare and dental care.
More recently, however, it says it has made a major shift on the issue of migration and now wants immigration to Sweden to be severely restricted – and illegal and criminal immigrants to be deported if possible.
