Sweden deports 22 Iraqis as part of tightening immigration measures

BAGHDAD – A chartered plane from Sweden landed in Baghdad on Wednesday afternoon, carrying 22 Iraqis who were forcibly deported, according to Swedish police, as reported by Radio Sweden.

While the radio report provided no further details, Majeed Alnashi, an Iraqi lawyer who has been residing in Sweden for over 30 years, clarified the situation in a TikTok video. He explained that the deported Iraqis were removed due to rejected asylum applications and had been held in detention centers. “This deportation is unrelated to any criminal activity, and those whose asylum cases are still under review remain unaffected,” he said.

This follows a similar deportation on September 26, 2023, when Swedish authorities forcibly returned 26 Iraqi asylum seekers to Iraq. That marked the first such deportation in over 11 years.

Since 2012, Sweden has faced challenges deporting Iraqi nationals against their will, as Iraqi authorities had previously refused to accept involuntary returns. However, a bilateral agreement reached between Sweden and Iraq last fall has paved the way for several deportation flights.

Sweden’s immigration policy has become progressively stricter in recent years. The center-left coalition government began tightening policies, and the current conservative administration, led by the Moderate Party with support from the far-right Sweden Democrats, has introduced even more restrictive measures.

Approximately 20% of Sweden’s population—around 2.1 million people—are foreign-born, with Iraq, Syria, Iran, Somalia, and Afghanistan being the most common countries of origin outside the EU.

Recent measures by the Swedish government aim to curb irregular immigration, including stricter asylum laws, rules on family reunification, and initiatives to deport or repatriate migrants. Some proposals include financial incentives for voluntary return and expanding the government’s ability to revoke residence permits.