For the first time since the start of the refugee crisis, Sweden has introduced border checks. This comes moments after Sweden's Prime Minister asked European counterparts for help in caring for the refugees at a high-level conference in Malta. The Swedish police will be monitoring trains and ferries that arrive from mainland Europe and those without the proper documents will be stopped.
Officials have said that anyone who is seeking asylum in Sweden is welcome and the intention for these checks is to create a more orderly process of arrival for the refugees as well as to deter those trying to pass through Sweden to other Scandinavian countries, according to The Guardian.
Sweden, often known for its open-door policy, has taken such measures to counter the increase in incoming migrants. The refugee crisis has made it difficult for Sweden and other EU nations to provide asylum because of the sheer numbers that they have to accommodate. Due the growing threat against public order, the border control has been put into place. The border control will span the bridge across the Oresund strait that separates Sweden and Denmark and ferry ports in the region, according to Daily Mail.
"A record number of refugees are arriving in Sweden. The migration office is under strong pressure...and the police believe there is a threat against public order," Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said. "Our signal to the rest of the EU is crystal clear - Sweden is the country that has shouldered the greatest responsibility for the refugee crisis. If we are to cope with this mutual challenge, the other countries must take their responsibility."
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was criticized by The Centre Party, a member of the center-right opposition alliance, saying that it ends Sweden's open-door tradition. Other rightist parties say that the measures are not enough to help Sweden deal with up to 190,000 asylum seekers this year - which was double previous record from the early 1990s.
The checks started on Thursday, with police waiting at Hyllie station, the first stop in Sweden on route to Denmark, according to Reuters.
