00:01My name is Ayla. I'm 21 years old and from Iran.
00:04Now I'm going to be deported there as a single woman without my family.
00:10We spoke with four young people being forced to leave Sweden due to a law passed by the conservative government.
00:17My name is Nadine and I'm 21 years old. Now I'm supposed to go to Egypt alone. I'm being deported
00:23in a few days.
00:25My name is Batis. I'm 21 years old and I'm going to be deported to Iran without my family or
00:32a girlfriend.
00:33My name is Romana and I just turned 19. At 18 I was rejected by the immigration office.
00:40The Swedish Migration Authority is cracking down hard in Stockholm, even with families that have permanent residency.
00:48Authorities say once you turn 18 you're of legal age and no longer need your family's protection.
00:55I learned Swedish. I have a boyfriend here. My whole family is here. My job is here. I did my
01:01studies here and I want to contribute to society.
01:04But they say it's not enough just because I've turned 18?
01:11In 2023 Sweden's government introduced a regulation that makes this law.
01:15The once very open and liberal country now has one of the strictest immigration policies in Europe.
01:21The Swedish press is reporting on grotesque cases, like eight-month-old Emmanuel, who received a deportation notice and is
01:29supposed to be sent to Iran alone.
01:31Or the sisters Daria and Donia, both in their early twenties.
01:37They were deported to Iran in October 2024 without their families or friends.
01:42They had started vocational training in Sweden and now they're afraid for their lives.
01:49We're afraid we'll die. It's chaos here. You can feel it. And it's really hard not being able to see
01:56our family. If something happens to us, it'll be tough.
02:04All four people and their parents thought they'd done everything right. Batis, for example, had been working as a nurse.
02:15That's why it was a shock for me when I got that letter. It was the day I got my
02:19driver's license in Sweden.
02:22I was even afraid to just drive around and party with my girlfriend and friends.
02:28I get it when they deport criminals, but I didn't do anything wrong. I was studying. I just want to
02:34lead a normal life after graduation.
02:38Why do they do that to an 18-year-old kid? I don't get why they're tearing apart the family.
02:45My daughter has hardly any ties to Egypt.
02:51Let them stay, they're calling out. Swedes are taking to the streets over the immigration policy with protests in 30
02:59different cities.
03:04Aila, Batis, Nardine and Jomana joined in Stockholm.
03:12How can the authorities claim I have no connection to Sweden and my family?
03:25Sweden has a minority government that relies on votes from the right-wing populist party Sverigedemokraterna.
03:33That explains the tough policies. The result? There are more people leaving Sweden than arriving.
03:39The center-right minister of migration, Johan Forssell, doesn't see any issue with the strict policy.
03:50Today, Sweden's policy is in harmony with the rest of Europe.
03:54I said I wanted to see a restrictive migration policy, but it should also be reasonable.
04:01Government representatives declined to be interviewed.
04:04Shortly before the protests, the cabinet announced it would pause any more deportation notices, but the old ones would still
04:10be enforced.
04:12There are only days before Nardine is also deported. She's a Coptic Christian, a discriminated group in Egypt.
04:20I'm leaving the country in a few days. Even if deportations are paused, that won't help me.
04:25I hope something will happen, because I'm running out of time, and I know you all here want to help
04:31us.
04:35Widespread solidarity on the streets wasn't enough.
04:41The Swedish parliament has just rejected a permanent halt to deportations with the ruling coalition's approval.
04:50Bhatis, Jomana, Ayla, and Nardine can only wait and hope.
Comments