Finnish Government Wants Tougher Border Restrictions

The Finnish government wants to give border authorities the power to force some asylum seekers back into Russia if the situation on the eastern border becomes more tense, reports Yle.

On Friday afternoon, Finnish PM Petteri Orpo (NCP) and Interior Minister Mari Rantanen (Finns) outlined the government's proposal for a stricter new border law.

The Orpo cabinet wants to increase border authorities' powers as a precaution in case the number of asylum seekers over the eastern border increases significantly, or the frontier situation becomes otherwise more strained.

The goal of the government's proposal is to be able to immediately return asylum seekers to Russia along parts of the eastern border. The law would include exceptions for children, people with disabilities, and individuals in particularly vulnerable situations, for instance, said Sanna Palo, Chief of the Finnish Border Guard's Legal Division.