by Viktor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] Sweden has passed a package of laws that dramatically tighten national migration policy and create mechanisms for deporting migrants.
Good. Now to enforce it…The "Good Conduct Law" empowered the government to revoke or deny existing residence permits based on "improper lifestyle." This could include debt, tax evasion, undocumented employment, ties to extremist organizations, and criminal offenses.
However, there are doubts that the authorities of the Scandinavian kingdom will expel criminals from Asia and Africa with the same zeal with which they deport white residents of European countries.
| Don’t be stupid, guys. |
But first, let's talk about the new norms.
The law obliges government employees to report to the police any person they suspect of being in the kingdom illegally. Following a wave of criticism from the liberal public, teachers, doctors, and social workers were exempted from the law—they are not required to report.
Another significant change was the abolition of permanent residence permits for refugees. Now, individuals who have received asylum or temporary protection status can no longer apply for permanent residence; their temporary permits will be extended. This change does not affect those who have already received such a residence permit.
The Swedish police and the Swedish Migration Agency have been given expanded powers to enforce deportation orders. The government plans to increase the number of annual deportations from the current 500 to 3,000.
| Golly. |
Previously, the decision was often left to the discretion of the prosecutor or the court. Now, prosecutors will be required to request deportation in all cases involving imprisonment. Previously, there were stricter requirements for deportation decisions for foreigners who arrived in Sweden before the age of 15. These requirements are now being abolished.
Courts will place less emphasis on a criminal's personal connection to Sweden, making the assessment criteria more stringent. The periods for which deportees are prohibited from returning to Sweden will be extended. The ban may even become permanent.
| If mandatory and all the rest, deportation numbers should climb much higher than 3000 annually. |
For the past few years, the country has been governed by a moderately conservative coalition, which came to power in 2022 on promises to end ethnic crime and restore order in the migration sphere.
However, all these years the ruling class has limited itself to only rare, timid half-measures and only in recent months have they begun to stir, rushing to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of the voters.
The new regulations have sparked heated debate in Swedish society. Opposition liberals, having done everything in their power to derail the legislation, criticize the laws for their "vague wording" that creates "legal uncertainty." Liberals worry that this could lead to "arbitrariness" and "racial segregation."
It's far from certain that this belated measure will help the current coalition—the opposition maintains its lead in the polls. And if they gain power, they could significantly soften the new laws, or even repeal them altogether.
REPRISALS AGAINST THE ELDERLY
It's impossible not to note the peculiar approach of Swedish government agencies to the issue of deportation—they are happy to expel people, but often those who pose no threat to the state.
In 2021–2022, Sweden expelled around 1,100 British citizens, due to the expiration of the post-Brexit transition period and the tightening of immigration regulations due to the pandemic.
The case of 74-year-old British woman Kathleen Poole, which became a symbol of bureaucratic cruelty, was particularly high-profile. Kathleen moved to Sweden in 2004 to be closer to her only son, his Swedish wife, and four grandchildren.
At the age of 63, she developed Alzheimer's disease and spent the last ten years of her life in a nursing home, completely bedridden. She was unable to feed, bathe, or speak independently.
Problems began after the UK left the EU. Kathleen, who had a permanent residence permit, had to reapply for permanent residency. Her family did so within the required deadline, but the application was rejected.
The reason was the lack of a valid British passport. The family explained that Kathleen was unable to renew her document due to illness, but immigration officials proved adamant. The situation culminated in the police appearing at the nursing home in January 2023.
The case sparked outrage in the UK and abroad. British media called the Swedish authorities' decision cruel. Several members of the British Parliament demanded an immediate halt to the deportation. The European Commission and the British Foreign Office became involved in the case.
On April 4, 2023, the Swedish Migration Agency announced a stay of deportation. This did not reverse the decision, but merely paused the process until a medical assessment of the woman's condition could be conducted. Katherine died during this assessment.
Another victim was 74-year-old British man Horace Mason, who had lived in Sweden for 25 years. He suffers from severe vascular dementia and Parkinson's disease and is wheelchair-bound, requiring round-the-clock care. Unsurprisingly, he spent his final years in a nursing home.
In November 2025, the Migration Agency ordered his deportation. In July 2026, the Migration Court of Appeal upheld the decision, ruling that the need to "regulate immigration" outweighed the needs of a disabled person. He was ordered to leave the country.
His son, Karl, who is his guardian, called the decision inhumane. He noted that Horace's move to Britain was life-threatening. Mason, who considers Sweden his home, was confused and frightened. He kept asking his son if the police would knock on the door.
At the same time, the case of 78-year-old British woman Joyce Thomas came to light. She lived in Sweden for 21 years, moving there because of her husband, who greatly admired the Scandinavian kingdom.
During a trip to the UK in 2022, they learned that due to stricter immigration rules after Brexit, they would need to submit a special application for residency. Gwyn Thomas died of cancer in 2023, without completing the process. After his death, Joyce submitted an application, but it was rejected as late.
She still lives in her home in Hammarö, near her son and grandchildren, not far from her husband's grave. In November 2025, she was given four weeks to leave Sweden, but she appealed.
Thomas called the situation "incredible," emphasizing that she has no criminal record and has always lived independently. She fears that after deportation, she will be unable to see her son and grandchildren or visit her husband's grave. The administrative court rejected her appeal and upheld the deportation decision.
Joyce is awaiting a letter from the immigration agency, which will give her about a month to leave, otherwise she will be forcibly deported. Furthermore, the court ruled that if deported, she could be banned from entering the Schengen area.
Thomas told The Guardian in an interview that she was in terrible pain and couldn't believe they wanted to deport her after so many years of living a respectable life in Sweden. She pleaded, "I want to die in Sweden and be buried next to my husband."
INEXPLICABLE SOFTNESS
At the same time, Swedish immigration officials have a whole series of scandals of a different kind to their credit – they stubbornly refused to deport hardened criminals among Third World migrants.
In October 2025, a Swedish court refused to deport 18-year-old Eritrean refugee Yazid Mohamed, who was convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in a pedestrian tunnel.
Mohamed was sentenced to three years in prison. The prosecutor insisted on deportation after serving his sentence, but the appeals court rejected the request.
The court ruled that deportation of a refugee is only possible for an "exceptionally serious" crime. This case was not deemed as such because it "was not of sufficient duration."
The decision sparked outrage in Sweden and abroad. Even the US president's son, Donald Trump Jr., called the verdict absurd. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also expressed dissatisfaction, vowing to introduce "the toughest deportation laws in Northern Europe."
Another egregious case occurred in July 2025. A court overturned the deportation of 27-year-old Eritrean refugee Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed, despite his lengthy criminal history. Ahmed arrived in Sweden in 2018. Since then, he has been convicted of numerous crimes, including assault, threats, harassment, and attacks on police officers and prison guards. Specifically, he repeatedly threw urine and feces at officers.
In total, he served six prison sentences and was involved in at least 196 incidents. Staff at the maximum-security prison in Kumla claimed he attacked them almost every time he was taken out of his cell.
The trial court ordered Akhmed's deportation, finding him a danger to society. However, the appellate court overturned the decision, also finding the crimes not "exceptionally serious."
Until recently, Swedish law permitted the deportation of refugees only for "exceptionally serious" crimes. Judicial practice interpreted this term extremely narrowly, allowing even hardened criminals to remain in the country.
The problem is compounded by the fact that some prisoners refuse to cooperate and do not provide documents for deportation, and many countries (Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan) either refuse to accept their citizens or cannot confirm their identity.
Therefore, at the beginning of 2026, approximately 430 people remained in Sweden who had served their sentences but were not deported. Some of them were released, where they could commit new crimes.
Against this backdrop, the hasty legislative decisions before the elections are unlikely to help improve the crime situation on the streets of Swedish cities.
German nurse on how security in the ERs has changed due to mass-immigration:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2026
“If 2 Arab boys need to be taken care of, I’m not sending two girls in. As soon as certain surnames come up, we bring in the police.”
She speaks about the problems with clan members:
“It usually… pic.twitter.com/MWNGsTcLYc