According to a Novus survey, only one-third of Swedish civil servants would comply with a law requiring them to report undocumented immigrants. At the same time, almost as many say they would violate the law if it were enacted.
Last year, the government introduced a proposal that would require public employees to report illegal immigrants. A government inquiry into the proposal has begun and is expected to be completed this fall; if it becomes law, it will mean that public sector employees will be required by law to report illegal migrants to the Migration Board and the Police Board.
A new survey by Novus shows that 28% of public employees would not comply with the law if it becomes law. Another 33% say they will comply and 40% do not know how they will act.
A significant proportion of those who will not comply, 86%, say they would rather be fined than report an illegal immigrant, 67% say they would rather change jobs and a quarter say they would be willing to go to jail.
While the proposal has been welcomed by many, it has also been heavily criticized in the past, with the city of Uppsala, for example, urging the government to scrap its plans, arguing that it could, among other things, discourage people from seeking help, but also make it more difficult for the public sector to work.
