Dreams of mass repatriation: government and far-right expansions of deportability in Sweden

Far-right parties present increased deportations and repatriations of ‘racial aliens’ as a central policy goal. The mainstreaming of the far-right contributes to making such ideas enter mainstream politics and become legitimized. This article investigates what expansions of deportability can be discerned in relation to membership categories viewed as secure – notably, permanent residency and citizenship – in government policy and far-right policy proposals in Sweden. Based on an analysis of Swedish government policy documents from 1885 to 2022 and far-right party programs and policy proposals from 1989 to 2022, the article shows how government and far-right ideas have converged in recent years in part through the rekindling of historical policy. The article concludes that the mainstreaming of the far-right has contributed to a shift towards a conception of citizenship that aims to render a significant part of the Swedish population deportable.

Nina Carlsson, Dreams of mass repatriation: government and far-right expansions of deportability in Sweden, Citizenship Studies, 2024.