Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) states in SVT's 30 minuter that he takes teen deportations very seriously, but offers no promises on quick decisions. Migration Minister Johan Forssell faces opposition criticism after a committee meeting where he provided no concrete answers on solutions. The debate highlights tensions within the Tidö agreement on migration policy.
The recent debate on teen deportations has put pressure on the government. In SVT's program 30 minuter on February 26, 2026, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) commented on the cases, stating that he takes them "very seriously". He emphasized that the law cannot be adapted to every individual fate, but that it should be reasonable and fair. Kristersson pointed out that Sweden received 320,000 asylum seekers over eight years, which he described as unsustainable, and noted a broad political consensus on a stricter line, except from the Green Party and the Left Party.
The issue concerns young people whose parents have the right to stay in Sweden, but who do not meet the requirements for their own residence permit at age 18. Kristersson mentioned the risk for those arriving at 16, studying, learning Swedish, and doing "everything right", but not meeting the three-year waiting period for citizenship applications. "One can imagine a different transition age for this. That's exactly what we're looking at", he said. However, he refused to preempt the investigation and gave no promises on imminent decisions.
The same day, Migration Minister Johan Forssell (M) was called to the social insurance committee, where he said before the meeting that a solution exists. Afterward, the opposition – Social Democrats, Left Party, Green Party, and Center Party – expressed frustration. Niels Paarup Petersen (C) said: "He has not given any concrete answer to anything". Tony Haddou (V) criticized the lack of political will: "Saying that one has a solution is a way to silence the protests against the government now". A proposal from the Social Democrats to pause deportations did not gain a majority.
Forssell referred to an ongoing investigation into stricter requirements for family immigration, including a "valve" for youths, but Migrationsverket's Director General Maria Mindhammar stated that it will not bring significant changes. Annika Hirvonen (MP) warned that time is running out for the youths and proposed a moratorium. Analyses point to a tricky balance for Kristersson within the Tidö agreement, where the Moderates want to avoid deviating from the Sweden Democrats, but revoking permanent residence permits clashes with the motto that effort should pay off. Disagreement exists on converting permanent to temporary permits, with Jimmie Åkesson (SD) in favor and Simona Mohamsson (L) against.
