Around 50 failed asylum seekers crossed the border from Finland into Sweden at the border crossing in Torneå, in full view of authorities, hoping to claim asylum.
The migrants, who had their asylum claims denied in Finland, were met by police who hired a bus to take them to the migrant reception centre in Boden, some 68 miles away, on Tuesday, Sveriges Radio reports.
“The Migration Board, the first thing they do is to test if these cases are to be dealt with in accordance with the Dublin Regulation,” said border police official Carolina Pedersen.
According to Dublin regulations, asylum seekers must be processed in the first European Union member state in which they claim asylum. The regulations have not always been followed with countries like Hungary refusing to take back 5,000 migrants from Sweden earlier this year.
Pedersen added that if the authorities determined the migrants fell under the Dublin regulations they would attempt to return them to Finland.
One of the failed asylum seekers, an Iraqi named Ali said: “We hope to get the help in Sweden that we have not received in Finland.”
Ali, along with the other asylum seekers, was scheduled to be deported back to his native Iraq but claims the country is too dangerous for him. “It is not possible. Our country is not safe,” he said.
Swedish Summer Festivals See over 150 Sex Attacks 20 Rapes This Yearhttps://t.co/1G64iIEaN1
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 5, 2017
In 2015, Sweden took in the most migrants per capita of any European Union member state. They have had great problems housing them and have seen a rise in crime.
Sex attacks, often committed by migrants, have been at the forefront of the increase in migrant crimes. Over the summer music festival season, there were 150 sex attacks at 20 music festivals and 20 rapes, according to newly released figures.
A report from earlier this year claimed that the number of sex attacks at festivals had gone up 1,000 per cent in 2016.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.