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Sweden’s government announced plans to significantly increase the deportation of immigrants convicted of crimes, proposing that any offence carrying a penalty more severe than a fine should, as a rule, result in deportation from the country.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell said that for too long foreign nationals who committed serious crimes in Sweden had been treated leniently. The proposed legislation would require prosecutors to request deportation as part of sentencing, rather than leaving such decisions entirely to discretion.
The government estimates that the reform could raise the number of deportations to around 3,000 per year, roughly six times the current annual average of about 500 cases. The bill will now be submitted to Council on Legislation for review before being presented to parliament. Forssell said the government intends for the law to enter into force on September 1st.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s government, which took office in 2022 with support from the right-wing Sweden Democrats, has pledged to take a tougher stance on both crime and immigration.
Measures introduced so far include expanded police powers, harsher sentences and proposals to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 as part of a broader effort to restore public safety.
