What happened
Migrationsverket is speaking out after employed case officers were exposed on social media. The background is an event that has attracted significant media attention. According to section head Sarah Sjudin, people online are spreading claims about cases in which they lack insight.
Our analysis
When individual case officers become targets online, the real problem is obscured. Those who make the decisions at Migrationsverket are merely executing the policies ordered by the government and the Riksdag. It is the politicians who pass the laws that tear families apart and cast people out, not the case officer behind the desk.
Politicians gladly hide behind the independence of government agencies. When individual officials are exposed, ministers avoid taking responsibility for the consequences of their own harsh rhetoric and constant tightening of laws. They have created a system built on suspicion, but leave their staff alone to take the hit.
Publicly exposing individuals helps no one and damages legal certainty. But the anger and desperation among new Swedes stem from the fact that the system has been made inhumane and closed off. The fight must be waged against political power, not against individual wage earners.
Explained
Migrationsverket is the government agency that examines applications from people who want to visit, live in, or seek protection in Sweden.