Responding to the Global Detention Project’s Covid-19 survey, the Swedish Parliamentary Ombudsman’s office reported that as far as they were aware, Sweden had not established a moratorium on new detention orders and was not contemplating such a measure. The Ombudsman stated that while some 200 detainees had been released from immigration detention, they were unable to provide information on any measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 amongst released detainees or whether any “alternative to detention” (ATD) programs have been put in place. The Ombudsman’s office also said that only detainees who showed symptoms of Covid-19 were being tested and that as of late May, only a minority of those showing symptoms were actually tested.
Concerning removals, the Ombudsman’s office reported that although they did not have official statistics, news reports from April indicated that the number of deportations had gone down sharply during March-April 2020, in comparison to the same period in 2019. Sweden has also placed a temporary ban on all non-essential travel to Sweden from all countries except the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. The travel ban has been extended until 15 June 2020. All visa applications for non-EU nationals are being rejected by the Swedish Migration Agency at this time.
