Finnish border law sparks controversy amid migration concerns

In Finland, a special law has been enacted to suspend the temporary acceptance of asylum applications at the eastern border. Additionally, migrants who manage to cross into Finnish territory through Russia will be deported.

- This is a law aimed at countering orchestrated migration. It is not a migration or asylum policy law - emphasised Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen in a programme on Yle television. The minister represents the national-conservative Finns Party (PS), known for their anti-immigration rhetoric over the years.

The party posted on social media, "This is a border law reform we have been seeking for years."

Throughout the legislative process, the law has sparked, and continues to spark, a lot of controversy. A special five-sixths majority was needed to pass it in parliament - as required by the constitutional committee.

Pushing through this law means that we are pioneers in Europe when it comes to border security - insisted Minister Rantanen.

Li Andersson, the leader of the Left Alliance (VAS), who will soon be sitting in the European Parliament, stated that the law's passage is "a dark day for Finnish rule of law and human rights."

Opposition to the introduction of the law came not only from left-wing groups but also from many lawyers, who maintain that border services will not be able to practically implement the law due to conflicts with international agreements.

According to critics, the law does not solve the fundamental problem in the east: the closure (for more than six months) of all crossings on the entire 1,300-kilometre Finnish-Russian border. This decision allegedly violates freedom of movement. For dual citizens or those with relatives on both sides of the border, the shortest route to Russia currently goes through Estonia.

The border will be opened when the border services deem it possible. For now, there are no grounds for this - admitted the minister.

According to Col. Mikko Lehmus, head of the border guard's intelligence department, "the threat of instrumentalised migration remains high, essentially unchanged since November of last year (when the government decided to close the crossings)."

- It is unlikely that the entire border will be opened - he declared.

In mid-July, the border guard reported that one person who had illegally crossed the border in the Kainuu region at the foot of Lapland was detained. This is the first such case this year.

In the autumn of 2023, when a mass influx of migrants from across the eastern border began and the crossings were open, over 1,300 people arrived in Finland over several weeks. These were mostly young men aged 20-30, women, and children, primarily from Middle Eastern and African countries. According to Finnish authorities, among the arrivals could be individuals who pose a threat to the country's security, including those associated with extremist groups, armed groups, or those who might participate in organised human smuggling.

According to media reports, even one in four people who arrived in Finland at that time and ended up in migrant centres left them. Some of them made their way to other EU countries, mainly Germany.

The law that took effect on Monday does not give border guards new powers, such as using force or coercive measures. Currently, as reported by the border command, officers are being trained to apply exceptions provided in the law, such as granting international protection to vulnerable people, including children. It also does not explicitly mention the practice of "push-back," or pushing migrants back from where they came. Its applicability is foreseen for 12 months.