Sweden’s government has unveiled a comprehensive plan to combat organised crime and illegal immigration, featuring a unique combination of stricter border controls and an expanded ‘snitch law’. The initiative aims to stem the tide of illegal arrivals while encouraging cooperation from within the public sector workers.
Several activists have raised concerns over the law ‘forcing’ the public sector workers to report undocumented people to authorities.
The proposed law is part of a 2022 agreement between Sweden’s political parties that paved the way for the coalition government.
A committee has been formed by the government to present proposals on how this could be drafted into law. The committee is likely to submit the report by the end of November.
If the bill becomes a law then thousands of undocumented migrants would reported by doctors, teachers, and other public sector workers if they come across any. “This is outrageous. People will be terrified and they will not be able to move around anywhere in the country not even to a hospital or school. They won’t be able to go anywhere as they would be turned in,” said an activist criticising the proposal.
Professional associations have said the proposal could erode the trust they have worked to build and instead fuel racism.
Jacob Lind, a postdoctoral researcher in international migration at Malmö University, told The Guardian that the Swedish proposal won't have much impact when it comes to reducing the number of undocumented people in the country.
"A lot of people are not going to leave...It will only add to further misery...society will have even less contact with people who are in this situation, further increasing their vulnerability," said Lind.