In Iraq and Afghanistan, returnees live 'in miserable conditions' due to a poorly managed asylum and repatriation system.
"There is usually a reason people choose to migrate," says Vera-Larrucea."And when they come back, the situation is often the same or worse than before migration." There are also a number of novel problems created by the return process itself which can obstruct reintegration.
Eagle-eyed readers were already wondering why returning people to Afghanistan and Iraq, both countries with active conflicts, does not violate the international refugee law principle ofThese returns can happen despite this principle, because Sweden treats some areas of Iraq and Afghanistan as safe. Kabul, for instance, is, and that's good enough for all Afghan returnees to be sent there, regardless of where they originally came from. For example, many of the respondents of the Delmi report are of the Hazara ethnic minority based in central Afghanistan. These returnees found themselves in Kabul in the East, where they lack connections and can be subject to discrimination and harrassment due to their minority status. In another example, some returnees, despite being Afghani nationals, had spent their whole lives in Iran. Other deportees had arrived in Sweden as minors, and at the time of return had little or no connection to the entire region. None of this bodes well for reintegration. The return process itself can also lessen a returnee's prospects for successful reintegration. Many interviewees described poor communication from the Migration Agency, often because of insufficient interpreting services, meaning they did not understand they could be deported until it was too late. On top of this, smugglers tend to over-sell the chances of gaining asylum in Sweden, which means people often genuinely believe they will be allowed to stay. The rude awakening of a removal order, sometimes after years spent in Sweden, can cause extreme distress and panic. The demeanor of many service-providers employed by the Swedish Migration Agency, such as interpreters, contributes to this distress, with many respondents saying they felt disrespected and mistreated throughout the process. Many rejected asylum seekers are so unsettled by the prospect of imminent return that they end up"These people go through a very traumatic process, they arrive here and claim asylum and then ," says Vera-Larrucea."And the most painful thing is that they wait four or five years for that. And then of course, they have hopes they will be able to stay. Because after four or five years, of course, you start to integrate." Even those that go"willingly" can be subject to a traumatising and disorienting experience. The line between voluntary and involuntary return is a blurred one, and Constanza Vera-Larrucea describes situations wherein a choice to return looks a lot more coerced than willing. "You get the message that if you don't return, you can be put into a detention center," says Vera-Larrucea."I remember very clearly a family that had decided to return, but then decided to stay. And told them, 'no it's too late, and if you don't return, we are going to put the father of the family in a detention center.'" All of this adds up to a situation where people arrive back in Iraq or Afghanistan traumatized, alienated from their surroundings and often broke. For those lucky enough to get"re-establishment support," usually around $3,500, things are a little easier, but the Delmi researchers found this money tends to go to short-term subsistence, and returnees are rarely in a position to put that money to better long-term use. "It is very difficult to expect that reintegration is sustainable for these individuals," says Constanza Vera-Larrucea. The Delmi report recommends several steps to better support returnees. First, improve communication and interpretation services between the Migration Agency and asylum seekers, so they are more prepared for the process. They also recommend tailoring return and reintegration packages to better suit returnees' individual needs, including encouraging receiving countries to offer more social support when people arrive. Crucially, the report recommends creating more legal routes for people to stay in Sweden. This last point is particularly important, as it acknowledges that for many returned people, being sent back"home" is only a part of the journey. "It is clear from the study that for most of the respondents, the current situation is precarious and vulnerable to political and economic instability," reads the Delmi report."This leads a majority of our respondents to consider remigrating if they find the resources to do so."
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