All Swedish parties back emergency freeze on teen deportations

All parties in the Swedish parliament are backing a proposal to introduce emergency legislation halting the so-called 'teen deportations'. However, bringing the new law into force could take time.

In the meantime, the centre-left opposition parties hope the Migration Agency will introduce an immediate pause on such deportations.

The proposal for an emergency freeze received unanimous backing at a meeting of parliament's social insurance committee, which handles immigration issues.

"We have secured unanimous support for the committee initiative itself. It is extremely positive that the Tidö parties support it," Niels Paarup-Petersen, migration spokesperson for the Centre Party, told the TT newswire.

The right-wing Tidö coalition parties raised several questions regarding how the scope of the legislation should be defined, but remain broadly supportive.

"It goes without saying that we are open to reviewing whether adjustments are needed to the legislation we recently enacted," Christian Democrat spokesperson Ingemar Kihlström told TT.

Marianne Littke of the Liberals stressed that immigration law must be humane, clear and predictable.

"In my view, the real bone of contention in migration politics isn't teen deportations, on this, all parties agree that it's a critical issue," she told TT.

Committee members have invited Migration Minister Johan Forssell and representatives from the Migration Agency to address parliament on what is required to get the emergency law over the finish line.

Lawmakers hope to enlist the government's assistance to kickstart the legislative process, as the government offices' resources and expertise would help expedite such a task.

In the interim, the centre-left parties are calling on the Migration Agency to pause deportations of young adults, pointing to the broad cross-party consensus now established in parliament.

The agency paused the execution of teen deportations earlier this year when the government announced impending legislative changes, but resumed processing applications two weeks ago.

Before the election, the right-wing government introduced a "safety valve" aimed at stopping teenage deportations, raising the age limit for this specific group to receive a residence permit based on family ties from 18 to 21.

However, the centre-left parties argue that the government's safety valve does not go far enough, and that deportations must also be halted for individuals who have turned 21.