This is how Finns fight against “instrumentalized migration”. They changed the law but still haven't used it

In November 2023, subsequent groups of African men tried to enter Finland from Russia on bicycles. They were detained by the border guard.

It is not known whether they were aware that Vladimir Putin's regime treated them as a tool to attack a country that had joined NATO a few months earlier. At the end of last year, in a short period of time, over 1,300 people specially brought by Russian services from the Middle East and Africa tried to cross the Russian-Finnish border illegally.

In response to Russia's perfidious game, Finland first closed all border crossings in the east of the country. Then, in July 2024, it adopted the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalized Migration, known as the “Return Act” for short.

– This law is readiness for a future situation in which Finland will become the target of a hybrid threat in the form of instrumentalized migration. It's a strong message for Russia, it's a strong message for our allies. Finland cares about its own security, we care about the security of the European Union's border, said Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, in July.

The new regulations gave the Finnish Border Guard the right not to accept asylum applications from people on a specific part of the border who are suspected of being a “tool of influence” of a foreign country on Finland, and to use the so-called pushbacks.

READ ALSO: Finland introduces controversial border law to fight “managed migration”

The law was adopted in a special procedure as a so-called exceptional law, i.e. one that, due to “important reasons”, introduces solutions that are contrary to the Finnish constitution. This required a five-sixths majority of votes, i.e. broad support from the opposition.

– It was not an easy process for us, because we had to find the right balance between two very important values ​​for us: security and human rights – said Antti Lindtman, chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, in July.

At the end of September, the Finnish Ombudsman appealed to the authorities not to use the provisions of the controversial law. It is treated as a “just in case” law. In response to a question from the Konkret 24 editorial team, the Finnish Border Guard confirmed that the limitation of the right to asylum has not been used even once so far.

READ MORE: Tusk on “suspension of asylum applications” in Finland. What is in the Finnish law

Nevertheless, when the Polish Prime Minister invoked the Finnish regulations, the whole of Europe is once again looking at them.

– This is also something that is talked about quite a lot here. Like the Finns, Poles are in a state of hybrid war with Russia and Belarus, and here they have no other choice, because the asylum policy in the form in which it has been practiced so far does not fit this extraordinary situation – says Bartosz Dudek, editor-in-chief of the Polish section “Deutsche Welle”.

– I think that the European Union as a whole will decide that for people who often come at the invitation of Belarus, Belarus pays for their transport, and they show up at the border, the right to consider their asylum applications will be denied – says Jacob Funk Kierkegaard, analyst at the Bruegel think tank.

On its social media, the far-right Alternative for Germany party posted a graphic praising Poland.

The comment reads: “Our neighbor is pulling the brakes and introducing AfD ideas. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the suspension of the right to asylum in his country. The state must regain 100% control over who comes to Poland.”

The AfD does not mention that we cannot equate Poland with Germany, because Germany does not border the aggressive regimes of Putin and Lukashenko.