The Moderate Party-led Swedish government is close to introducing a law that would force prosecutors to demand deportation when foreign nationals are sentenced to prison. The penalty threshold will be lowered from six months, which is expected to dramatically increase the number of deportations in coming years.

Migration Minister Johan Forssell (Moderate Party) confirms that the government will soon submit the legislative proposal making it mandatory to demand deportation for persons sentenced to prison. The reform could increase the number of deportations sixfold in the first years.

The announcement comes after international criticism that a man who raped the then 16-year-old Meya in Skellefteå, northern Sweden, last year was not deported.

— I was very moved when I read about this case, both as a minister but above all as a parent, Forssell tells state-funded broadcaster Radio Sweden.

He emphasizes that the system is failing:

— Crime victims should receive justice and the system should be fair, but there is a systemic flaw here. I want to be honest in saying that this systemic flaw means that it is rather the perpetrators' well-being that is taken into account.

— People are still allowed to remain in Sweden despite having committed very serious crimes, for example rape, and I find that offensive, the minister adds.

"Toughest regulations in the Nordic region"

The upcoming legislation is based on an inquiry that the government received in May. The proposal means that prosecutors must demand deportation for prison sentences, and courts must decide on deportation when the conditions are met.

The penalty threshold will be lowered from six months to all prison sentences, meaning that even crimes such as assault and fraud could lead to deportation. According to the inquiry, the number of deportations could increase by 500–600 percent during the first years.

— Sweden will thus have the toughest regulations in the entire Nordic region, Forssell claims, adding that the government also wants to review the EU rules that make deportations more difficult.

— I hope that we will be successful there, but it is a more complicated process than Swedish legislation, which we control ourselves.

Lack of credibility

Although many agree that immigrant criminals should be deportable, critics question the migration minister's credibility and ask how many deportations will actually be carried out.

During the Moderate Party's previous period in government under Fredrik Reinfeldt (Swedish Prime Minister 2006-2014), Sweden's already generous mass immigration was expanded, which according to critics has led to many of the people who may now be deported, or their parents, being granted entry to Sweden in the first place.

Despite the sudden shift in rhetoric, many believe it is highly unlikely that extensive deportation programs will be implemented under a Moderate Party-led government.