More people will be deported for crimes – and fewer will be able to return to Sweden after deportation. That was the government’s message when a new report was presented on Wednesday.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) believes that the number of deported criminals will be “sixfold” and claims that “Sweden will now have the toughest regulations for criminal deportations in the entire Nordic region”.
The governing parties and the Sweden Democrats have long argued that they want to deport more foreigners who commit crimes in Sweden – and now a report has been produced with proposals on how this should be done in practice.
One of the proposals is that perpetrators should be deported for all crimes carrying a more severe penalty than a fine – regardless of whether there is considered to be a risk of reoffending or not.
Another proposal is that prosecutors should be required by law to seek deportation “if the crime is grounds for deportation” – which would be a major change from the current situation, where each prosecutor makes this assessment themselves.
Furthermore, there is a desire to “strengthen the balance between the reasons for and against deportation” and to base future decisions on the minimum requirements set by the EU, without making more generous interpretations than necessary.
More lifetime re-entry bans
It will also be easier than today to deport criminals who came to Sweden before the age of 15. In future, it will not be a general court but the Swedish Migration Agency that will examine any obstacles to enforcement in connection with the expulsion decision.
The fact that deported criminals have been able to return to Sweden freely just a few years after their deportation has long been a source of frustration in society, and it is now proposed that re-entry bans should in many cases be longer or completely permanent.
“If the severity of the crime corresponds to imprisonment for less than six months, the re-entry ban shall normally be set at five years. If the punishment corresponds to imprisonment for six months or more but not imprisonment for one year and six months, the re-entry ban shall normally be set at ten years. For higher penalties than this, i.e., imprisonment for one year and six months or more, the re-entry ban shall, as a general rule, not be limited in time”, the government writes in a press release.
“Justice for the victims”
Finally, the penalties for staying in the country in violation of a re-entry ban will be tightened, and anyone who employs a person who does not have the right to stay in Sweden will also be punished more severely than is currently the case. The constitutional amendments are proposed to enter into force on January 1, 2027.
– It’s time to stop coddling people who come to Sweden and commit crimes. The number of deportations due to criminal offenses is expected to increase sixfold under the inquiry’s proposals. Step by step, we are making Swedish migration policy more just. Ultimately, this is about justice for the victims, said Migration Minister Johan Forssell.
– Sweden will now have the toughest regulations for criminal deportations in the entire Nordic region, he continues.
If the number of people sentenced to deportation for crimes were to increase sixfold, this would mean around 3,000 deportation decisions per year, compared with around 500 today.
Home countries do not want to take back their citizens
However, a recurring problem has long been that the former home countries do not want to accept their criminal citizens.
Many criminals in Sweden today come from countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, but despite deportation orders, it is usually not possible to enforce deportations to these and many other countries – and they instead remain in Sweden. The parties in the current coalition have not yet presented any concrete solution to this problem.
It should also be noted that under the Moderate Party’s leadership, Sweden has continued to receive around 100,000 migrants annually, and critics argue that stricter deportation measures will have limited effect as long as mass immigration is not also stopped. Under current legislation, migrants who have been convicted of crimes and have obtained Swedish citizenship cannot be deported.
