A previous risk assessment by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) found some 2 percent of rejected asylum seekers pose a security risk. Notably, Finland's first-ever terrorist attack, the 2017 Turku stabbing, was carried out by a rejected asylum seeker.
There are at least between 700 to 1,100 asylum seekers staying in Finland despite having received a negative decision by the authorities, an estimate by the Association of Finnish Municipalities said.
The figure includes between 30 and 50 families with children.
The survey also found that municipalities do not always separate those who have received a negative decision into their own group, nor do they reliably track people who may be present in the records of several different municipalities or services.
Furthermore, some people with a negative asylum decision do not necessarily apply for services, even if it may be known that they are within the territory of a certain municipality.
The estimate is based on the results of a survey into social and healthcare services provided by municipalities to failed asylum seekers, but the association emphasised that there is considerable uncertainty as to the reliability of the figures and that further research is required.
“In their replies, the municipalities stated widely that the figures given are partly estimates”, Ellen Vogt of the Association of Finnish Municipalities told the news channel MTV. “Still,…
