Finland should pass a law proposal that would give officials the option of refusing to accept asylum claims at or near the border, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told Finnish news outlet MTV.
He said the so-called deportation law was needed so that Finland could begin considering re-opening its eastern border.
Finland has kept its land border crossings with Russia closed since December, due to an influx of undocumented migrants, which Finnish officials have attributed to a hybrid influence strategy coordinated by Russia.
Citing intelligence authorities, Stubb told MTV there are third-country migrants in the Russian city of St Petersburg, waiting for the opportunity for a ride to the Finnish border.
"In addition to that, Russia has flown in migrants, whom they call asylum seekers, from Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Ethiopia. It would happen within about 48 hours. Our task as Finnish decision-makers and authorities is to see that this type of activity is stopped," he told MTV.
However, the proposed deportation law is controversial, with legal experts saying it would breach Finland's international obligations regarding non-refoulement.
There have been several calls for Finland to reject the legislation, including from the UN Refugee Agency, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, as well as professors and writers.
Last week, Parliament's Constitutional Law Committee greenlit the proposed law, but the decision was not unanimous. The matter was approved by a vote of 15–2, with Green and Left Alliance committee members voting against it.
Stubb told MTV that he hopes a consensus on passing the law could be reached.
"I understand that it's difficult for many people, because there really is a tension here between security and international human rights," Stubb said.
Parliament's Administration Committee is currently reviewing the bill.
If the decision heads to a Parliamentary vote, it would need the support of five-sixths of MPs and would be in force for a one-year period.
