Parts of decision on children in detention to be paused
Published:
The Riksdag decided on 17 June to pause the legislative proposals on certain grounds for taking children into detention, time limits for certain children in detention and separation of children from their guardians.
On 15 June, the Riksdag voted in favour of parts of the Government’s proposal on more stringent rules on supervision and detention in connection with the migration process. The new rules that were approved by the Riksdag mean that more forms of supervision as an alternative to detention will be introduced. Supervision may mean that a person is obliged to live in a certain place or remain within a certain area.
The obligation to remain in a certain area will be combined with conditions on electronic supervision if needed to ensure compliance with the obligation. The conditions that apply to whether a person may be placed under supervision or taken into detention will be clarified. Which public authority is responsible at each stage of the migration process for decisions on supervision and detention will also be clarified.
Most of these rules will start to apply from 21 July 2026.
During the debate in the Chamber on 14 June, a motion that certain proposals be paused for later decision (“held in abeyance”) was submitted. The motion concerned certain grounds for taking children into detention, time limits for certain children in detention and separation of children from their guardians.
After the vote in the Chamber, the proposal was referred to the Committee on the Constitution for examination under Ch.2, Art.22 of the Instrument of Government. On 16 June, the Committee on the Constitution found in its examination that some of the legislative proposals on supervision of children in the Aliens Act are covered by a special legislative procedure in the Instrument of Government, that can enable the proposals to be paused for twelve months.
The Riksdag decided on 17 June to pause the legislative proposals on certain grounds for taking children into detention, time limits for certain children in detention and separation of children from their guardians. The decision to hold the proposals in abeyance means that the Government’s legislative proposals will be sent back to the Committee on Social Insurance and paused there for at least twelve months.