British man facing deportation held in detention as wife appeals to Burnham

A British man facing deportation from Sweden has been placed in immigration detention after police summoned him and his Swedish wife to a station in Stockholm. His wife is now appealing to Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, for help and sharply criticizing Sweden’s treatment of the case.

The woman told The Guardian that police initially gave the couple no explanation for the summons. After about three hours, officers told them that her husband would be taken to detention and later deported. She said she protested, pointing out that the deportation decision had been appealed.

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Is this a civilization? They don’t care about human rights.

“Is this a civilization? They don’t care about human rights,” she said. She also described Sweden as a European country that nonetheless felt “like somewhere in Afghanistan.” Her appeal to Burnham was direct: “Why can’t Andy Burnham speak to the Swedish government? How many British families must suffer in Sweden before he acts? How many families must leave their homes and be forced to sell their houses?”

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I am ashamed. This is a European country, but it feels like Sweden is somewhere in Afghanistan.

The man moved to Sweden with his wife in 2017, three years before Britain completed its withdrawal from the European Union. He applied for a residence permit after Brexit, but the application was rejected in 2022. The family has since challenged the decision and appealed six or seven times, according to his wife.

The case follows other deportation orders involving British citizens in Sweden. DN recently reported on 74-year-old George Mason, who faces deportation after 24 years in the country while living with dementia. The Guardian has also reported on 78-year-old widow Joyce Thomas, who received a similar decision. “I am shocked. I feel sick,” she told the newspaper.

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Why can’t Andy Burnham speak to the Swedish government? How many British families must suffer in Sweden before he acts? How many families must leave their homes and be forced to sell their houses?

Sweden is one of 12 EU countries where British citizens had to apply to extend their residence rights after Brexit. A British government analysis found that 27% of applications in Sweden were rejected, well above the EU average of 3% to 4%. Sweden accounted for 12% of deportations of British citizens in the EU, although British citizens make up 1.5% of the country’s population.

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I am shocked. I feel sick.