Sweden: Individuals Classified as Security Threats Jumped 25% in 2021

The number of individuals who have been classified as threats to Sweden’s national security increased by 25% in 2021, jumping from 200 to 250 from the previous year.

In a recent statement, the Swedish Security Service (SÅPO), the agency responsible for making these classifications, said that although many of the individuals who’ve been deemed to engage in security-threatening activities are of foreign origin, few are deported, Nyheter Idag reports.

“Even if these individuals are not Swedish citizens and in many cases have expulsion orders, it is not always possible to enforce the expulsions, as the individuals may, among other things, risk being subjected to threats and violence in their home countries,” SÅPO Press Secretary Gabriel Wernstedt said. 

“This is partly because the individuals concerned do not voluntarily participate in leaving Sweden, and partly because of a lack of cooperation from the receiving countries,” Wernstedt added.

As a consequence of the accumulating number of security threats—which has taken place due to barriers that prevent the government from executing deportation orders—SÅPO now must devote an ever-increasing amount of taxpayer resources to maintain constant, around-the-clock, monitoring of these dangerous individuals.