Sweden approves deportation law over 'bad conduct' ahead of September elections

Sweden’s parliament has approved new immigration restrictions that will let authorities revoke residence permits and deport migrants for what the law calls “bad conduct.” The measure, passed overnight between Monday and Tuesday, applies both to people already in Sweden and to future arrivals. The government has not precisely defined the behavior that can trigger deportation, but officials have previously cited unpaid taxes, unpaid debts, links to extremist groups and criminal offenses as examples.

Responsibility for reviewing residence permits will fall to the Swedish Migration Agency. Immigration Minister Johan Forssell said earlier this year, when presenting the bill, that “Anyone who does not make an effort to act properly should not assume they can stay here.”

Lawmakers also approved a second immigration bill, nicknamed the “snitch law,” by a narrow margin. It requires many public-sector employees to report people they suspect are living in the country without legal status. After public criticism, teachers, doctors and social workers were exempted from that reporting duty.

The measures are part of a broader tightening of migration policy led by Sweden’s right-wing government ahead of parliamentary elections in September. Opposition politicians and human rights groups sharply criticized the laws, saying the criteria are arbitrary and unfair.