Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) is questioned in Ekot’s Saturday interview by Johar Bendjelloul.
According to the Tidö Agreement, municipalities and authorities must report to the Swedish Migration Agency and the Police if they come into contact with people who are staying illegally in Sweden – something that critics call a notification requirement. This has caused concern in many quarters, including among teachers.
Should it be incumbent on a teacher to register their students?
– This is an issue that I have pursued for a long time. I think it is an important main principle that all authorities in public Sweden pull in the same direction, in practice, however, it looks like there are authorities that work to find and enforce those who are to be deported, while other authorities contribute in act and deed so that they can actually remain in Sweden, for example by paying grants. And there I know when I talk to, for example, case managers at the Swedish Migration Agency that they have difficulty getting information from, for example, the social administration in a municipality that still knows where a person is. This means that the decision that a court has made on deportation does not help the authorities to fully enforce, says Maria Malmer Stenergard.
If we take the concrete example of teachers. Children of undocumented immigrants have the right to go to school in Sweden, but their teachers could be obliged to report to the police if the children are at school.
– What I described was the main principle. I think it is perfectly reasonable that all authorities work together and that, as a general rule, information should be shared.
But there are many who work at the school…
– And also in care, which has been up in the debate, and here I think you should be humble in the face of the fact that this is a very difficult issue and therefore we have also said that it should be investigated in a legally secure manner. And it may be relevant to make exceptions for those cases where it may conflict with cherished values and I do not intend to prejudge the results of that investigation.
But should the basis be that there is a notification obligation and then there can be occasional exceptions?
– That’s how I see it.
So the basis should be that in school and in healthcare, the basis is that you should report if you come across an undocumented person?
– No, the basis should be that authorities in Sweden should generally be obliged to inform if they become aware of a person who does not comply with a deportation order, then exceptions can be made for certain categories, for example healthcare staff.
– This needs to be investigated further. It may be that some cases in healthcare should be the exception and in other cases not, and I don’t want to prejudge that.
Revoking permanent residence permits
According to the Tidö agreement, permanent residence permits must be issued – temporary ones will be the rule in the future. Today, almost 300,000 people live in Sweden with permanent residence permits. Should they lose their permanent residence permits and have them converted to temporary ones?
– To begin with, this only applies to asylum-related residence permits, many people have residence permits here, such as labor immigrants or students, and it is not relevant in those cases.
The proposal that permanent residence permits that have already been granted should be withdrawn – has raised concerns and questions about legal certainty, normally authority decisions that benefit the individual cannot be withdrawn. The matter will now be investigated – but the basic idea is that of those who have asylum-related permanent residence permits today, get rid of them and instead apply for citizenship. At the same time, they want to raise the requirements to be able to become a Swedish citizen, it will be required, among other things, that you speak Swedish and have lived here for at least eight years, instead of the current five years.
– The idea is to find an individual path to citizenship, what does this individual need to be able to take the full step into society and thereby meet the requirements for citizenship. If you don’t make it, it’s not obvious what will happen, but once again an investigation will have to look at it, because these are also complicated issues, it’s an announced decision that in that case must be rolled back, and I want to emphasize that this must happen in a legally secure manner.
Do you see any problem with the fact that 300,000 people in Sweden who were safe living here suddenly do not know for sure if they will be able to stay?
– I do. I met with large sections of civil society yesterday, representatives of them. And they expressed just this and it worries me. For people who live here in an honorable way and try to learn Swedish, become self-sufficient and do everything they can to enter society, they should not feel worried. And if I have communicated in a way that created concern, then I think I should think about how I will communicate in the future, because it is important that people feel motivated to integrate, says Maria Malmer Stenergard.
SEK 71 per day for Ukrainians and asylum seekers
Since 1994, asylum seekers receive SEK 71 per day to buy food, clothes and hygiene items. They are not entitled to SFI, teaching in Swedish for immigrants. The same applies to the Ukrainians who sought protection in Sweden to avoid the war according to the EU’s mass refugee directive. The Minister of Migration opens up in the interview to review the conditions going forward.
Guest: Minister of Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Host: Johar Bendjelloul
Comment: Karin Runblompolitical reporter at Ekot
Technician: Brady Juvier
Producer: Maja Lagercrantz
Source: ICELAND NEWS