Sweden’s government on Wednesday, Feannounced plans to significantly expand the deportation of immigrants convicted of crimes, proposing that, as a general rule, any offence carrying a penalty higher than a fine should result in expulsion.
Minister for Migration Johan Forssell said the current system had been too lenient. “For far too long in Sweden, foreign criminals who have committed serious crimes in the country have been coddled,” Forssell told reporters at a press conference.
Under the proposed legislation, prosecutors would be required to request deportation as part of sentencing in applicable cases, rather than leaving the decision to their discretion. The government estimates the changes could increase deportations to around 3,000 per year, roughly six times the current annual average of about 500.
The bill will now be submitted to Sweden’s Council on Legislation, which reviews draft laws before they are presented to parliament. Forssell said the government intends for the law to take effect on September 1.
The move comes as Sweden continues to grapple with organised violent crime, much of it linked to gang conflicts and competition over the drug trade. While official statistics show a decline in deadly shootings, bombings have reportedly increased.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s right-wing government, supported in parliament by the Sweden Democrats, came to power in 2022 pledging tougher policies on both immigration and crime. Since then, authorities have expanded police powers, introduced harsher sentencing measures and proposed lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 as
