Maria Malmer Stenergard, Sweden’s Migration Minister, has announced that the country is implementing the strictest asylum policies since 1997 to combat drug gang violence and other social issues. Her government has reduced the number of asylum seekers to the lowest level in decades, resulting in Sweden having more emigrants than immigrants for the first time in half a century.
Stenergard, a member of the centre-right Moderate Party, attributes the country’s recent challenges—including a spike in violent crime—to large-scale immigration and inadequate integration measures. She asserts that these issues have led to overcrowded housing, poor educational outcomes, honour-related oppression, and escalating crime rates.
The minister pointed out that Sweden now faces the highest gun crime death rate in the EU, with 62,000 people linked to gangs. The violence, including bombings and shootings, has spread from urban centres to suburban areas. According to Stenergard, there is a troubling trend of higher crime rates among those born abroad and second-generation immigrants, underscoring the need for more effective integration policies.
In response to these concerns, the government has drastically reduced asylum claims. By late July, only 5,600 asylum applications had been filed, marking a 27% decrease compared to the previous year and setting the country on track for its lowest number of claims in about 26 years.
Stenergard emphasized that, while there is no specific numerical target, maintaining low levels of asylum immigration over an extended period is crucial for reversing trends of social exclusion. The government has also tightened family reunification and citizenship regulations, prioritized the return of individuals not granted asylum, and is currently reviewing its immigration laws.
Despite these changes, Stenergard assured that the policies adhere to EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights. Sweden will not pursue offshore processing of migrants, unlike the UK’s abandoned Rwanda plan, and instead focuses on improving integration and adjusting its welfare system.
The minister criticized previous asylum policies as overly generous and argued that Sweden must align itself more closely with other countries to manage immigration effectively. The government is also exploring policies such as revoking citizenship for dual nationals involved in serious crimes and offering financial incentives for voluntary returns of naturalized citizens and migrant families.
With the support of the hard-right Sweden Democrats, which became the second-largest party after the 2022 elections, the current coalition government—including the Moderates, Liberals, and Christian Democrats—is united in its commitment to stricter immigration controls and enhanced integration efforts.
