Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) proposes that youths facing deportation at age 18 should be allowed to complete high school. Protests against teen deportations are growing in Sweden following the abolition of the 'spårbytet', despite warnings about impacts on children and youth. Politicians from various parties express concern over the effects on well-behaved young people.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) stated in Ekot's Saturday interview on February 14 that youths turning 18 without their own protection grounds should be allowed to finish high school before deportation. 'That is really what I think is the glitch in the system,' he said.
Deportations of teenagers have sparked strong protests in Sweden. Over the weekend, demonstrations were held in several cities to show support for affected youths, friends, and classmates. Examples include working people with low wages in healthcare, teenagers who grew up in Sweden, and an eight-month-old Swedish-born boy at risk of deportation to Iran without his parents.
Political reactions are mixed. The Liberals demand a 'ventil' to stop teen deportations. Within the Christian Democrats, there is rumbling, given the party's traditional focus on refugees and family. SD leader Jimmie Åkesson wrote in Aftonbladet that young people who 'have adapted and made Sweden their own' must be given a chance. Helena Nanne (M), opposition councilor in Malmö, emphasized to Aftonbladet on February 12: 'It is crucial that young people who have done everything right – learned Swedish, behaved well, and become part of our society – do not get caught in the crossfire ... The Moderates stand by the well-behaved and hard-working people.'
Forssell expressed concern but promised no immediate solutions: 'I am keen to find a solution for this group of well-behaved young adults ... But I am also keen that it happens in the right way.' He mentioned a solution could take up to a year.
The decisions stem from legislative changes abolishing the 'spårbytet', despite warnings in consultation responses from, among others, the Migration Agency about consequences for children and youth. Almost the entire parliament ignored these warnings. SD's migration policy spokesperson Ludvig Aspling defended the deportations on platform X, writing: 'What is happening here seems to be that many foreigners live under the impression that the Migration Agency's decisions do not matter.'
According to editorial writers, the government faces a crossroads between bourgeois principles and SD's migration policy. A recent panel discussion with parliamentarians from Örebro county included a young woman's question about teen deportations.
