A 20-year-old refugee lives in Hraungjóti, but he has lost all rights to services and assistance in Iceland after the final rejection of his application for international protection. He does not want to go back home because he says he is being persecuted for his religion.
Omar is 20 years old and is from Equatorial Guinea. He came to Iceland three years and eight months ago and has been finally refused international protection. He was taken to the state police chief’s resort in Bæjarhraun, which is the last stop for people on their way out of the country, but he left there nine days ago and lives in a tent in a ravine near Hafnarfjörður and Garðabær.
He says it’s better than going back home, but he fled his country because of persecution, but he doesn’t want to be a Muslim, like the vast majority of people in the country, but practice Christianity.
“I don’t feel good in the tent. It is very cold and there is too much water flowing in. I have a hard time sleeping,” he says, and that he would rather spend the night in a tent in Iceland than go home where he fears being killed.
Omar is one of 30 people who have left the National Police Service voluntarily after being notified of the end of service in accordance with changes to immigration laws last spring.
Following changes to the Immigration Act that Alþingi approved this spring, the Ministry of Justice tasked the National Police Commissioner with handling services for those who have received a final rejection of their application for international protection, but only for a maximum of 30 days. After that, people lose all rights to services or assistance. After people are notified of an imminent loss of service, they are referred to a new resource by the National Police Commissioner in Bæjarhrauni in Hafnarfjörður.
Since July 1, 53 have been notified of the cancellation of services and ten have left the country or are preparing to leave. 30 have completed the 30 days or voluntarily left the service.
The remedy is intended as a last stop before people leave the country. However, the problem has arisen after the change in the law that not everyone is willing or able to leave and is therefore completely without rights in Iceland, and even homeless.
Five were expelled from the resort today. Of them, three women were from Nigeria and two men, one from Iraq and the whereabouts of the other unknown.
It can be expected that more people will end up in the same situation as Omar in the coming days, but there are still around 20 people living in the National Police Commissioner’s resort who have yet to complete their 30 days and not all of them have shown cooperation in leaving.