160 asylum seekers who applied for asylum at Finland’s eastern border last year have been reported “missing”, heightening concerns amid a surge of asylum seekers from Russia. According to the Finnish immigration authority, the department has received a significant number of 1,323 asylum applications at the eastern border between August and December of 2023. In particular, there was a notable increase of applications during November – about 900 – and December – more than 300.

Antti Lehtinen, the Asylum Unit Director at the Finnish immigration authority, expressed concern and stated that “160 people are now missing from reception centers, most with unknown whereabouts.” Although there is a possibility that these asylum seekers have instead turned to seek residence in another country, Lehtinen has denied this prospect. He added that the asylum seekers have fingerprints logged into the Eurodac system, Europe’s shared fingerprint database.   

The sudden disappearance of asylum seekers underscores the crisis of managing immigration prevalent in many European countries today. A unified E.U.-wide solution in response to the migration crisis is needed and was something the Finnish president Suli Niinisto called for last year. Additionally, the current situation also raises questions about the effectiveness of programs such as the Eurodac system to keep track of asylum seekers and ensure their safety. 

Finland had previously closed eight border crossing posts to Russia for two weeks in an attempt to stem the large inflow of asylum seekers. However, earlier in January, Finland had extended the border closure till February 11th, stating that it’s likely that the inflow of asylum seekers would resume if the borders were released. The public of Finland pins the blame for its large inflow of migrants on Russia, believing the crisis to be orchestrated as an attempt of “hybrid warfare” after Finland joined N.A.T.O. on April 4th, 2023, after years of acting as a neutral party.

As Finland attempts to investigate the case of missing asylum seekers, a border guard stated that the case could have relations to “criminal organizations” carrying out “large-scale human smuggling”. This crisis could further increase the tension between Finland and Russia, as indicated by Finland’s public opinion. Moreover, it highlights the urgency for a collaborated and enhanced solution by European countries to manage the locations of asylum seekers. The missing asylum seekers are an unsettling and grave alarm that should remind us of the importance of a peaceful approach to immigration that will properly protect those who are seeking security and refuge within the European Union.