Icelandic officials have reversed their stance on supporting Venezuelan migrants, deporting 180 recent immigrants who had only recently arrived in the country. The move marks a significant shift in policy, as previously, Venezuelans had enjoyed near-unquestioned asylum in Iceland.
The country’s Directorate of Immigration and European border agency Frontex were involved in the mass deportations. This change in policy has been months in the making, with the Immigration Appeals Board earlier this year upholding several decisions that ruled against asylum filings involving Venezuelans.
Human rights advocates, including the Icelandic Red Cross, Amnesty International, and UNICEF, have opposed the change in laws, which allows the government to ignore human rights laws such as the UN Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Children. The bill also permits the government to deny services like healthcare once 30 days have elapsed without an asylum application being approved.
Despite opposition from the Pirate Party’s MP Þórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir, the bill was passed with the support of major Icelandic parties, including the Independence Party, the Progressive Party, and the Left Greens. According to the MP, the bill sends a message that people should leave the country or face being forced out onto the streets without assistance or access to basic services.
