Yesterday was the first day of the newly implemented border checks in Sweden. The Swedish government is now demanding photo identification from anyone who crosses the border from Denmark into our country. It is the first time the government has done so since the 1950s. The new measures were decided on by the government back in November 2015 after several requests from the Swedish Migration Agency.
According to the Secretary of State’s press secretary Victor Harju, Sweden welcomed a total of 162.877 refugees in 2015 –– a number that is also verified by the Swedish Migration Agency. The large numbers of refugees have become increasingly unmanageable for the Swedish Migration Agency that have had a hard time finding the resources to deal with the immense amount of asylum cases but also with the most basic needs such as shelter. There have even been reports of refugees having to sleep on the streets in Sweden due to lack of residency for the asylum seekers. According to Harju, the new border checks are a way to ensure basic government functions.
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“Sweden has implemented border checks because the government estimates that the large number of people who have arrived in Sweden over a relatively short period of time, constitute a direct threat to internal security and safety in general,” said Harju, when asked about the ID checkpoints.
Any travelers coming in from Denmark are now required to present a valid passport or ID card on their train, bus or ferry. So, how does this actually affect those coming from Denmark into Sweden? And what are the repercussions if a person fails to present a valid passport?
According to police officer Ewa-Gun Westford from Sweden’s southern region, the ID and passport checks will be carried out in Denmark, where people traveling to Sweden will be required to show a valid passport or other form of identification. Only after that check will the traveler be allowed into Sweden. If the traveler fails to show any valid ID, they will not be allowed to travel into Sweden. This also includes refugees without any documents.
When arriving in Sweden, the Swedish police will carry out border checks in different locations such as the Öresund Bridge and Malmö’s harbor. If any refugees wish to apply for asylum in Sweden, they will be given information by the Migration Agency and provided with transportation to the nearest migration office, where they can register. If they don’t want to seek for asylum in Sweden, they will be transported back to Denmark.
Fredrik Segerfeldt, one of the founders of MIGRO, an organization that fights for an individual’s right to travel freely is obviously less than impressed by the recent measures: “The development in the Öresund region – with the bridge as a vital connection between Malmö and Copenhagen – is one of the most significant developments for Scandinavian integration in modern times. And the border and ID checks are a serious setback in that regard. We have had the right to travel into another Nordic country without any documentation since 1952.”
An EU meeting in Brussels will be held tomorrow with migration ministers from Sweden, Denmark and Germany to discuss the newly implemented border controls.
