While Minister for Migration Johan Forssell takes every opportunity to point out how lax previous immigration policies have been, and that efforts are now underway to repair them, he is also opening up to the possibility of yielding to the media campaign and halting the so-called teenage deportations.

In March, the Tidö government announced that ‘teenage deportations’ would be paused pending new legislation. This concerns young people who came to Sweden as children and risk deportation when they reach adulthood, despite still being in secondary education, because as adults, they are no longer covered by their parents’ residence permits.

The government has discussed a ‘vent’ that would make it easier to grant residence when there is a clear dependency relationship between the youth and a relative in Sweden. The purpose is to avoid deporting young people in the midst of their studies before they have had a chance to finish their education.

READ ALSO: Tidö government softens migration stance and pauses “teenage deportations” after criticism

Negotiations on the promised vent are now in their final stage, and the government will soon present a permanent solution. But in an interview with Aftonbladet, Minister for Migration Johan Forssell (M) now brings an entirely new message—he wants even those young people who have already received deportation decisions but have not yet left Sweden to be included in the new law, which will soon be presented.

– I would really like to find a solution for that group as well. If you do everything right, if you try hard, study or work and have not committed any crimes, then I think you should get a fair chance to find a long-term future in Sweden. But it is naturally complicated when it involves legally binding decisions, he says.

Feels in the Heart

According to Forssell, there are certain principles that are important, and he says he has read the articles in the media.

– When it was described to me that we’re imposing rules on boys and girls that are unattainable, it feels very wrong in my heart, says Johan Forssell.

Sources tell Aftonbladet that several politicians in the Tidö government are dissatisfied with the relief suggested by the inquiry because it would mean losing focus—tightening family reunification immigration.

Forssell’s goal is for Sweden never again to end up in a situation similar to that of 2015.

– For me, this is not a ghost from ten years ago, but about caring for Sweden; that we never again end up in the completely uncontrollable situation Sweden was actually in.

READ ALSO: Social Democrats say no to tightened immigration policy