'Don't come here': Sweden launches new campaign to curb irregular migration

The Swedish government has launched an international campaign to discourage mass immigration to the Nordic country. According to the Russian news outlet, Sputnik, the move came after Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson gave out a slogan of “getting Sweden in order”. With this, the Prime Minister intends to both reduce immigration and bring down major gang crimes that have plagued the country. 

As per the report, the main aim of the campaign named ‘Don’t Come Here’ is to instil the idea that the Scandinavian country is no longer generous when it comes to its asylum policy. 

"It's about giving an account of exactly what Swedish migration policy looks like and will look like," Immigration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said at a press conference, Sputnik reported. The infamous campaign involved several media appearances and international interviews with the country’s migration minister to the German, French, Danish and Belgian news outlets. During these media appearances, Stenergard suggested that more than half of the foreign-born inhabitants residing in Sweden cannot support themselves. 

A long-term plan 

Earlier this year, the moderates-led liberal-conservative minority government announced a shift in the country’s migration policy. The government, with the help of the national-conservative Sweden Democrats, pledged to “limit the influx” of newcomers in the country, Sputnik reported. At that time, the Swedish Prime Minister praised Denmark for pioneering this endeavour. "Denmark has shown the way, both in terms of a stricter immigration policy but also a much tougher criminal policy. Getting Sweden in order is our absolutely necessary big project, and that includes both reducing immigration so that we can cope with integration, but also bringing down major gang crime. Denmark has shown that both things are possible if you are long-term in your changes," Ulf Kristersson said during a recent visit to Denmark, as per the report by Sputnik. Kristersson insisted that the country is “10-15 years behind” and emphasised that there is a need to catch up amid “hard times”. 

In response to this, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed her pleasure over the fact that Denmark’s strict immigration policies can inspire others. Denmark is known for issuing atrocious laws against immigrants. In 2016, the administration passed the notorious Jewelry Law, which gave Danish authorities the power to confiscate cash, jewellery, and other valuables above DKK 10,000 (nearly $1,500) from arriving migrants. Another such measure was the Ghetto Package that aims to reduce the number of people of “non-western origin” through measures such as eviction along with other harsher punishments.