Kurds fear deportation as Sweden tightens immigration rules

STOCKHOLM, Sweden and ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Hedi Qadir was deported from Sweden nearly two months ago, and currently lives in the Kurdish town of Daratu near Erbil. “I speak Swedish fluently. I was working and paying my taxes, but they still deported me,” said Qadir, 31, who held a work permit but was recently deported to the Kurdistan Region following a 5-year wait for permanent residency. 

According to a Rudaw investigation, 74 immigrants were deported to the Kurdistan Region over the past two months, and 53 more are currently awaiting deportation.
 
Recounting his deportation to Rudaw, Qadir claimed that he was forcibly arrested and was deported handcuffed and blindfolded. 

He is upset that the Kurdistan Region had agreed to take him back, “The government of Afghanistan asked the Swedish government not to deport its nationals, yet I was taken back as a prisoner by my home country,” referring to the Afghan parliament’s recent message to the Swedish government that they will not be taking back their citizens who have emigrated. 

Hans Andersson, a Swedish journalist researching these deportation cases, including that of Qadir’s, said, “I along with some of my fellow activists and lawyers are now working to revoke the decision to deport people like Hedi and those who are currently awaiting forcible deportation in prison.” 

Regarding Qadir’s deportation, Andersson said that “they will be trying to take him back to Sweden through his work permit.” 

This is very unlikely to happen. However, Qadir is hopeful, “I was there for over 5 years, and I am used to their lifestyle.” 

Human rights activists are angered by the decision and the way Qadir was deported to the Kurdistan Region via Baghdad airport. They claim that this is against principles of human rights. 

“The process of deporting immigrants in Sweden is illegal,” said Léon Jafa, a human rights activist who is originally from Latin America and has been living in Sweden for over 18 years. 

The Swedish government continues deporting failed asylum seekers, disregarding protests by human rights activists. 

A new Swedish immigration law gives the police authority to inspect homes of suspected illegal immigrants. They are authorized to seize their identification documents for deportation purposes.  

Deporting Kurds to Afghanistan 
Rejected Kurdish asylum seekers who had initially identified themselves to Swedish immigration officers as Afghanis recently faced deportation to Kabul. 

There have also been cases where Kurdish immigrants who had initially identified themselves as Iraqi Kurds had found themselves on the brink of being deported to Afghanistan. Mohammed Ismail was one such immigrant who was given a chance to stay in Sweden only after the decision to deport Afghan immigrants was suspended. 

Ismail’s case was due to an error in printing names of rejected asylum seekers for deportation purposes. Rudaw obtained a copy of Ismail’s deportation documents, which show that he was just hours away from being deported to Afghanistan. 

Losing his work permit under new rules 
Daniar’s story was picked up by Swedish media. He, 27, was close to realize his dream – opening a restaurant in Sweden. But his dream fell short. He lost his work permit when he failed to meet the financial requirements. He is now due to be expelled from Sweden. 

Daniar is originally from the Kurdistan Region and has been living in Sweden for over 7 years. He was quoted in the Swedish tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet saying that he was wronged by the Swedish government as well as his employer. 

“Daniar has no right to stay according to the new system. This case shows Sweden’s increasing pressure on immigrants to leave the country,” Rasha Amin, a lawyer in Sweden, told Rudaw, adding, “In order for one to qualify for a work permit, one needs to make no less than 24,000 Krona.”

Four immigration council members have argued that Daniar should leave the country, but the final decision is left for the head of the council. 

The Swedish immigration office decided nearly two months ago to deport rejected asylum seekers and revoke residency permits of some refugees coming from countries which are now deemed safe for return. This decision has affected over 3,200 people, a large number of which are from the Kurdistan Region. 

According to the latest Swedish immigration council statistics, only 250 immigrants have left Sweden. Nearly 74 have been forcibly deported and over 1,150 have gone into hiding and are now being sought by the police. 

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from Rudaw http://ift.tt/2hSDk6a
via Defense News