Finland’s ever-growing crisis of undocumented migrants is the government’s and Social Democratic Party’s doing

Thanks to the 107 MPs listed below that voted on April 13 to approve law 2/2016 that did away with granting residence permits on humanitarian grounds, Finland faces today an unprecedented rise of undocumented migrants.

According to various estimates, the number of undocumented migrants is seen rising from a few hundred to thousands, even by as many as tens of thousands.

Prior to scrapping residence permits on humanitarian grounds, an asylum seeker who got a negative decision from the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) was granted a temporary residence permit if there wasn’t a repatriation between Finland and his country.

Law 2/2016 is poorly thought-out and is an example of how populism and xenophobia are guiding the government by the leash when it comes to immigration policy. Thus Finland’s immigration policy doesn’t hinge on whether countries like Iraq are safe or not, but on anti-immigration politics.

I am astounded many times to watch officials of the Migri, politicians who are interviewed by complacent journalists state that these people only came to Europe to search for a better life.

So?! Is it is a crime to flee a failed state like Iraq embroiled in violence and search for a better life in Europe?

Anti-immigration rhetoric in Finland has become so extreme that we label whole groups for fleeing countries that we destroyed directly and indirectly in the first place.

As the decision to grant only one-third of asylum seekers a residence permit has nothing to do with reality and is a political statement, the most interesting question is why Finland has thrown to the side its own sense of fairness and empathy for people in need?

The answer and the guiding force of our ever-draconian immigration policy hinge on keeping our society white and Christian.

Politicians and the media won’t tell you this outright but that’s the code we are reading from them over and over again.

The only reason why the Center Party and National Coalition Party can do business with the anti-immigration populist Perussuomalaiset* in government is because they too want to keep Finland white.

Below, are the MPs that voted in April to do away with granting residence permits on humanitarian grounds. The only opposition parties that backed the government were the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, which most of its MPs voted in favor of the bill. 

Some of the surprise names to emerge from the list is Social Democrat MP Nasima Razmyar, who voted in favor of the law.  

Olavi Ala-Nissilä/Center Party

Mikko Alatalo/Center Party

Anne Berner/Center party

Juho Eerola/Perussuomalaiset

Markku Eestilä/National Coalition Party

Simon Elo/Perussuomalaiset

Ritva elomaa/Perussuomalaiset

Eeva-Johanna Eloranta/Social Democratic Party

Tiina Elovaara/Perussuomalaiset

Sari Essayah/Christian Democratic Party

Maarit Feldt-Ranta/Social Democratic Party

Sanni Grahn-Laasonen/National Coalition Party

Maria Guzenina/Social Democratic party

Pertti Hakanen/Center Party

Teuvo Hakkarainen/Perussuomalaiset

Timo Harakka/Social Democratic Party

Harry Harkimo/National Coalition Party

Lasse Hautala/Center Party

Eero Heinäluona/Social Democratic Party

Reijo Hongisto/Perussuomalaiset

Petri Honkonen/Center Party

Hannu Hoskonen/Center Party

Antti Häkkänen/National Coalition Party

Lauri Ihalainen/Social Democratic Party

Marisanna Jarva/Center Party

Harri Jaskari/National Coalition Party

Kalle Jokinen/National Coalition Party

Kauko Juhantalo/Center Party

Arja Juvonen/Perussuomalaiset

Antti Kaikonen/Center Party

Timo Kalli/Center Party

Ilkka Kanerva/National Coalition Party

Toimi Kankaaniemi/Perussuomalaiset

Ilkka Kantola/Social Democratic Party

Mika Kari/Social Democratic Party

Elsa Katainen/Center Party

Niilo Keränen/Center Party

Anneli Kiljunen/Social Democratic Party

Krista Kiuru/Social Democratic Party

Kimmo Kivelä/Perussuomalaiset

Esko Kiviranta/Center Party

Timo V. Korhonen/Center Party

Hanna Kosonen/Center Party

Kari Kulmala/Perussuomalaiset

Katri Kulmuni/Center Party

Antti Kurvinen/Center Party

Seppo Kääriäinen/Center Party

Antero Laukkanen/Christian Democratic Party

Eero Lehti/National Coalition Party

Jari Leppä/Center Party

Jari Lindström/Perussuomalaiet

Antti Lindtman/Social Democratic Party

Mika Linkilä/Center Party

Markus Lohi/Center Party

Eeva-Maria Maijala/Center Party

Pirkko Mattila/Perussuomalaiset

Leena Meri/Perussuomalaiset

Kai Mykkänen/National Coalition Party

Outi Mäkelä/National Coalition Party

Lea Mäkipää/Perussuomalaiset

Merja Mäkisalo-Ropponen/Social Democratic Party

Hanna Mäntylä/Perussuomalaiset

Martti Mölsä/Perussuomalaiset

Ilmari Nurminen/Social Democratic Party

Sirpa Paatero/Social Democratic Party

Tom Packalén/Perussuomalaiset

Aila Paloniemi/Center Party

Ulla Parviainen/Center Party

Jaana Pelkonen/National Coalition Party

Tuomo Puumala/Center Party

Juha Pylväs/Center Party

Mika Raatikainen/Perussuomalaiset

Nasima Razmyar/Social Democratic Party

Juha Rehula/Center Party

Antti Rinne/Social Democratic Party

Veera Ruoho/Perussuomalaiset

Wille Rydman/National Coalition Party

Joona Räsänen/Social Democratic Party

Päivi Räsänen/Christian Democratic Party

Vesa-Matti Saarakkala/Perussuomalaiet

Pertti Salolainen/National Coalition Party

Kristiina salonen/Social Democratic Party

Sari Sarkomaa/National Coalition Party

Arto Salonen/National Coalition Party

Sami Savio/Perussuomalaiset

Juha Sipilä/Center Party

Saara-Sofia Sirén/National Coalition Party

Ville Skinnari/Social Democratic Party

Timo Soini/Perussuomalaiset

Eero Suutari/National Coalition Party

Satu Taavitsainen/Social Democratic Party

Katja Taimela/Social Democratic Party

Sari Tanus/Christian Democratic Party

Sampo Terho/Perussuomalasieet

Kaj Turunen/Perussuomalaiset

Tapani Tölli/Center Party

Juhana Vartiainen/National Coalition Party

Anu Vehviläinen/Center Party

Pia Virtanen/Social Democratic Party

Eerikki Viljanen/Center Party

Ville Vähämäki/Perussuomalaiset

Ben Zyskowicz/National Coalition Party

Peter Östman/Christian Democratic Party

* The Finnish name for the Finns Party is the Perussuomalaiset (PS). The English names of the party adopted by the PS, like True Finns or Finns Party, promote in our opinion nativist nationalism and xenophobia. We, therefore, prefer to use the Finnish name of the party on our postings. The direct translation of “Perussuomalaiset” is “basic” or “fundamental Finn.”