As immigration and refugee systems have taken on many changes these past months, there has been another action taken in Sweden. The government has strengthened security and began taking ID checks from people, including refugees and regular commuters, arriving by bus, ferry, or train into the country. This is not only limiting the number of refugees that this country can help, but also causing an inconvenience for all the people who take the train daily across the Oresund bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden; this usual 35 minute trip is now expected to take at least another half hour. Other European countries are also being affected, as they are increasing border checks and controls too. This decision has brought up criticism and people are trying to get the government to understand that they cannot expect refugees who are fleeing and already distressed to always have the proper documents on them.
Sweden is a country of the Schengen area, which allows people to cross international borders freely without border checks. How do you think the other countries in the Schengen area feel about Sweden’s actions after going against this agreement? Do you think there will there be any consequences or other effects as a result?
Find the full article at: Al Jazeera