Sweden is currently facing significant controversy over a proposed "snitch law" that would require public sector workers to report undocumented individuals to authorities. This proposal stems from a 2022 agreement between four political parties, which facilitated the formation of a coalition government. Nearly two years after the Sweden Democrats became the country’s second-largest party, efforts are now underway to transform this controversial proposal into law.

The government has established a committee tasked with drafting proposals on how this controversial measure could be enacted into law. The committee is expected to present its findings by the end of November. If the proposal is implemented, it could compel up to a million workers—including dentists, teachers, and other professionals—to report any interactions with undocumented patients, students, and individuals to the authorities. This has sparked widespread opposition from rights campaigners and professional associations, who are raising concerns over the potential impacts on trust and professional ethics.

Michele LeVoy of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants said, "This proposal is utterly inhumane.”

"People will be, in a sense, terrified. Why would anyone want to go somewhere when they know that the main thing that will happen is not that they can get care, not that they can go to school, not that they can go to the library – they’ll just be turned in."

Jacob Lind, a postdoctoral researcher in international migration at Malmö University, commented on the proposal in an interview with The Guardian, expressing scepticism about its effectiveness. He noted that the Swedish proposal is unlikely to significantly reduce the number of undocumented individuals in the country.

"A lot of people are not going to leave," he said. "They are just going to end up in further misery. You’ll end up with the opposite effect; society will have even less contact with people who are in this situation, further increasing their vulnerability and making them even more exploitable."

Image source: AP