154 asylum seekers missing

A total of 154 individuals who have been denied international protection in Iceland are registered as missing in the police system and are hiding in this country. This is stated in the response of the National Police Commissioner to a query from Morgunblaðið.

The total number of asylum seekers who have received a final refusal for international protection is 367, and the aforementioned 154 individuals are included in that number. The National Police Commissioner says that those who have received a final refusal for their application for international protection have been in the country for varying lengths of time. The oldest work order for removal is from August 2020, but most of the requests are from 2024.

The police are said to have information about the whereabouts of most of those who are not registered as missing or are in contact with them in some way. The remaining 154 asylum seekers, on the other hand, are roaming the country.

Most from Venezuela

Of the 367 individuals who have received a final refusal, most are from Venezuela, 82, the second most are from Somalia, 48, while there are 39 individuals from Iraq and Nigeria.

There are 21 from Afghanistan, 20 from Palestine, 13 from Ukraine, 10 from Georgia, 8 from each country; Algeria, Libya, and Pakistan, 7 from Guinea, and 6 from Albania. Five or fewer individuals came from another 30 countries.

In addition to the information above, the National Commissioner of Police was asked about the cost to the state of the illegal stay of asylum seekers in this country in the last three years, i.e. the years 2022, 2023, and 2024. No answer was received to that question, as the office stated that it was unable to answer the total cost to the state for that reason, as the cost fell on various public institutions.

Recently, the National Court of Iceland ruled against an asylum seeker who had resorted to all means to avoid deportation. He had been illegally staying in this country for five and a half years.