The Swedish parliament has voted to further tighten its policy towards immigrants, adopting laws that allow authorities to revoke residence permits based on vaguely defined criteria of "bad behavior" and oblige most public sector employees to report people they suspect of not being in regular residence, the Guardian reports.
The new legislation comes ahead of parliamentary elections in September, in which the center-right government, which currently depends on the support of the far-right Sweden Democrats, will face a far-right that openly advocates creating one of the most hostile environments for non-Europeans in Europe.
Late on Monday, lawmakers voted on a so-called "good conduct" law, which will apply to future and existing residence permit holders, and in many cases will apply retroactively.
"Anyone who does not make an effort to do the right thing should not count on being able to stay," Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forsell said in March, when he presented the bill.
Although the law does not specify what behaviors will be considered unacceptable, the government has previously cited unpaid debts, tax evasion, criminal activity, and ties to extremist organizations as examples.
The assessment of residence permits will be carried out by the Swedish Migration Agency, and its decisions will be subject to appeal.
The law has provoked harsh reactions from opposition politicians and human rights organizations, who consider the criteria arbitrary.
“This creates a risk that residence permits will be refused or revoked for conduct that is neither illegal nor punishable for Swedish citizens,” Amnesty International recently warned.
The Stockholm-based organization Civil Rights Defenders assessed that the law "undermines the rule of law."
"The Good Conduct Act leaves people in uncertainty as to what actions or expressions can be used against them," the organization stated.
Parliament also narrowly passed the controversial so-called "whistleblower law," which obliges many public sector employees to report people they believe are staying in the country without the necessary documentation.
The law was adopted with 174 votes in favor and 172 against.
Critics have long warned that the new measure will negatively impact the physical and mental health of migrants, as well as increase the risk of racial profiling.
“This is a cruel and ineffective policy that opens a Pandora’s box of reporting – a hallmark of authoritarian states,” said Jakob Lind, a researcher on international migration at Malmö University.
"Today's vote will have devastating consequences for undocumented migrants, who will be further pushed to the margins of society as their access to rights will be limited."
After widespread criticism, teachers, doctors and social workers are exempt from the reporting requirement. However, employees of the tax administration, employment and social security services will have to notify the police if they suspect they have been in contact with people without regular residence.
Louise Bono from the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants assessed that this is a "serious setback for human rights" in Sweden.
"Such exemptions for healthcare, schools and social services do not provide sufficient protection. In practice, information will circulate between service providers, government agencies and immigration authorities," she said, warning that many might avoid contact with healthcare facilities.
Her position is also supported by Swedish researchers, who, after talking to public sector employees, warned that the law would effectively turn civil servants into border police.
They cite as an example a mother giving birth with the assistance of a midwife. Although the midwife is not required to register the family, the child must be registered with the tax authorities, who can then notify the police.
The Swedish government has long defended these measures, arguing that they are necessary so that people who do not have the legal right to reside in the country can be returned to their home countries.
Similar reporting requirements are rare in Europe. Finland is considering expanding them, while in Germany, social services have been facing similar requirements for two decades.
In 2012, British Prime Minister Theresa May introduced a "hostile environment" policy, which restricted access to jobs, welfare benefits, bank accounts, driving licenses, and other basic services for people without proof of legal residency.
It later emerged that many who were legally living in the UK were unable to prove their status, while the Home Office often misclassified lawful residents as immigration offenders. The National Audit Office concluded in 2018 that the policy had not represented good value for taxpayers' money.
The European Federation of Public Service Unions on Monday rejected the idea of turning workers into informants.
"Now is not the time for another witch hunt," said Jan Willem Gudrijan of the union.
He urged governments to keep in mind that "public services in Sweden and many EU countries could not function without migrant workers."
The new legislation, he added, will foster an atmosphere of "suspicion, fear and racism", while also undermining the fundamental right to asylum.
"It only gives legitimacy to the far right, which is happy to see its most radical dreams of mass surveillance, detention and deportations come true, at the expense of the ethics of public services."
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