Sweden may expel up to 80,000 rejected asylum seekers
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 28 January 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Sweden may expel up to 80,000 rejected asylum seekers, 28 January 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56c4296b26.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
January 28, 2016
Swedish Interior Minister Anders Ygeman says the country could deport between 60,000 and 80,000 asylum seekers in coming years.
Ygeman told the newspaper Dagens Industri that since about 45 percent of asylum applications are currently rejected, the country must get ready to send back tens of thousands of the 163,000 who sought shelter in Sweden last year.
"I think that it could be about 60,000 people, but it could also be up to 80,000," Ygeman was quoted as saying.
His spokesman, Victor Harju, confirmed the quotes on January 28, adding that the minister was simply applying the current approval rate to the record number of asylum-seekers that arrived in 2015.
Harju adds: "That rate could, of course, change."
Germany and Sweden were the top destinations for asylum seekers in Europe last year.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
