Demonstrations occurred in around thirty locations in Sweden on Saturday against the government's and Sweden Democrats' migration policy, with the focus on the debated 'teenage deportations' that were paused on March 6. Several legal changes to tighten migration policy have led to relatives of people who get residence permits being deported from Sweden after they turn 18, even if they have lived there. Teen deportations have been paused, but protests against the Tidö parties' strict migration policy continue, with about thirty manifestations for a more humane migration policy, mostly on the weekend.
Asylum immigration in Sweden is the lowest since 1985, according to Migration Minister Johan Forssell, who argued that stricter reforms by the government and the Sweden Democrats were necessary to bring down asylum immigration numbers.
In Stockholm, organizers claimed around 2,000 people joined the demonstration at Norrmalmstorg square, featuring speakers such as Green Party MEP Alice Bah, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and former Social Democrat heavyweight Carl Tham. An estimated 1,000 people joined a protest in Stockholm's Sergels Torg on Saturday in support of people facing deportation due to the abolition of the 'track change' law. The protest was organized by Alexandra Valin and other parents of children in a class affected by the policy.
In Malmö, there was a good turnout to the demonstration despite heavy rain, with several hundred people coming to chant, drum, and listen to speeches. The protest in Malmö was led by pro-migration groups such as Refugees Welcome Sverige, Ensamkommandes Förbund, Malmö Antirasistiska Förening, and Amnesty Malmö, as well as the Church of Sweden, ABF Malmö, and the Malmö Red Cross. A manifestation with speeches and music was held at Rådhustorget in Umeå on Saturday, with around 500 participants advocating for a more humane migration policy. Around 30 different organizations co-organized the manifestation in Umeå.
500 Örebro residents participated in the demonstration in Örebro, co-organized by trade unions, the Swedish Church, and Stadsmissionen. A manifestation in Kisa against the government's migration policy occurred, with about 20 people attending, and Maj-Viol Thostrup (V) participated in the manifestation in Kisa. A demonstration was arranged on Fristadstorget in central Eskilstuna on Saturday afternoon due to recent notable deportations of young people of high school age, and the demonstration in Eskilstuna included participation from the Church of Sweden, the Red Cross, the teachers' union Sveriges lärare, and several political parties.
Manifestations were arranged over the weekend in several cities, including Stockholm, Malmö, Göteborg, Luleå, and Växjö, by networks and organizations working on migration issues. A demonstration for a humane migration policy is arranged at 32 locations in Sweden, with Storgatan in Luleå being one location where a crowd gathered on Saturday. Another manifestation is planned for Saturday at Tyska torget in Norrköping, with protests continuing around the country over the weekend. Protests also occurred in Stockholm, Malmö, Lund, Umeå, Norrköping, Linköping, Skövde, Härnösand, Mora, and Biskops-Arnö on December 18th, International Migrants' Day.
Sisters Diya and Kani Hassan, aged 21 and 19, were speakers at the demonstration, expressing fear over their deportation decisions. Participant Celine Zoe, aged 20, risks deportation and fears having to leave her family, as her sister is Swedish and her mother has a residence permit. Anzhelika Yanus-Andriievska, from Ukraine, has lived in Sweden for 15 years without a residence permit and protested against the government's migration policy. Najj Ibed has a deportation decision confirmed by the Migration Court in October 2024 but remains in Sweden, where he has tried to get a residence permit for over thirteen years after arriving from Sudan in February 2013.
It is inhumane not to be able to plan her life without a residence permit.
Cross-country protests in Sweden were coordinated by the group För en human migrationspolitik (for humane immigration policy). The campaign aims to highlight consequences of current migration laws and gather support for a policy that is legally secure, predictable, and humane. Five of the Church of Sweden's bishops are participating as speakers in the protests. Raymond Lilja was one of several speakers when the Church of Sweden at Stora torget in Borås demonstrated for a humane migration policy on Saturday, part of efforts in several places in the country in recent days.
Posters for the Umeå manifestation were torn down across the city, with some stickers from the Nordic Resistance Movement attached. The police were contacted and present at the Umeå manifestation, taking the matter seriously.
Migration Minister Johan Forssell blamed the teen deportations on the previous government and insisted the current government was trying to stop them. Similar protests were organized across Sweden in December last year, and organizers believe previous demonstrations have had an effect given the government's recent backtracking on some criticized immigration policies.
The protests called for the government to scrap a proposal abolishing permanent residency for asylum-based immigrants and recalling issued permits. Some 4,700 people affected by the track change abolition have formed a Facebook protest group. A petition against the recall of permanent residency permits has received more than 7,000 signatures.
A group of about 500 migrants traveled through southern Mexico on Wednesday, protesting long waits for paperwork and requesting authorization to move to areas with greater employment prospects. The group left Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, on Tuesday night to highlight their situation and gain permission to find work elsewhere while their immigration status is processed. The group marched under the observation of the National Guard, the National Migration Institute, and local police, none of whom attempted to stop them. Foot marches in the region no longer target the United States, and groups of a few hundred migrants typically disperse within days without traveling beyond southern Mexico.
Tapachula has long served as a hub for transient populations and has seen an influx of third-country nationals, particularly Cubans deported by the Trump administration, although official figures are not released. Joandri Velázquez Zaragoza arrived in Tapachula in August 2024, sought a U.S. asylum appointment via the CBP One app unsuccessfully, filed for asylum in Mexico after the program ended under Trump, and had his application and appeal rejected.
On the day the march began, the Mexican government announced a new agreement to boost labor inclusion for people in transit across southern states such as Campeche, Chiapas, Tabasco, and Quintana Roo. The Southern Border Monitoring Collective warned that people in transit are paying up to 40,000 Mexican pesos (about $2,300) for documentation that is legally free. The Southern Border Monitoring Collective denounced increased militarization of Mexico’s southern border and the Northern Triangle, stating it has intensified risks and abuses faced by migrants.
On Monday, Mexican authorities discovered 229 migrants trapped inside a truck in Veracruz, found when migrants shouted for help after the vehicle was towed to a police impound lot. Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion conducted a protest action at the Swedish Board of Agriculture's premises at Skeppsbron in Jönköping on Thursday.