Sweden: New Laws to Increase Deportations & Tackle Shadow Society

Sweden’s government unveiled a raft of proposed legal changes Wednesday aimed at increasing deportations and dismantling what officials describe as a growing “shadow society” of undocumented migrants. The proposals, presented at a press conference in Stockholm led by Migration Minister Johan Forssell, come after the government reported a more than 60 percent increase in returns since taking office.

The measures, detailed in a draft bill submitted for legal review, seek to grant police expanded powers of internal immigration control, enhance tools for verifying identities, and establish a novel obligation for certain government agencies to share information with law enforcement regarding individuals suspected of overstaying their visas or lacking legal residency.

“A prerequisite for our success with integration is to uphold regulated immigration, where a yes is a yes and a no is a no,” Forssell stated. “Previous governments have not prioritized this, and we are now seeing the consequences. That is why we are now giving the police new and expanded powers that will increase returns and counteract the shadow society.”

Officials estimate that over 100,000 people are living in Sweden without legal permission to reside there, creating a vulnerable population susceptible to exploitation and potentially harboring individuals who pose security risks or engage in criminal activity. Ludvig Aspling, migration policy spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats, emphasized the link between the shadow society and rising crime rates. “The growing shadow society has long been a strong contributing factor to both gang crime and social exclusion,” he said. “The deteriorating global security situation likewise places higher demands on society to ensure that undesirable persons are not within our borders. With these new tools, we will ensure that we fulfill this responsibility and strengthen the police, the Tax Agency, and other authorities’ ability to tackle the shadow society once and for all.”

The proposed legislation includes clarifying the rules surrounding internal immigration controls, allowing police to utilize observations, intelligence information, and data on locations, industries, and risk profiles when conducting checks. The threshold for initiating such controls is also being lowered, permitting checks when there is reasonable suspicion that an individual lacks legal residency, a broader standard than currently in place.

Authorities will also gain expanded powers to verify identities, including increased authority to conduct searches of homes and individuals, and to seize and examine mobile phones if they are believed to contain information relevant to establishing identity.

A new information-sharing obligation will be imposed on several government agencies – including the Swedish Public Employment Service, the Social Insurance Agency, the Prison and Probation Service, the Swedish Enforcement Authority, the Pension Agency, and the Tax Agency – requiring them to proactively provide certain data on individuals to the police if there is reason to believe they are in the country illegally. The National Economic Crime Agency and the Public Prosecution Authority will also be required to share information upon request. Notably, healthcare providers, schools, social services, and libraries are excluded from this obligation.

The government also intends to increase the use of biometric data, such as fingerprints and photographs, for identification purposes in immigration cases, aiming to prevent identity fraud. The Swedish Security Service will be granted direct access to the Swedish Migration Agency’s biometric database, a measure officials say is necessary for security reasons and to expedite background checks for citizenship applications.

The proposed legal changes are scheduled to take effect on July 13, 2026.