Swedish IGI calls on EU to establish joint process for issuing identity and travel documents to rejected or criminal Afghans
Swedish Immigration Minister Johan Forssel called on the European Union to establish a common and coordinated process for issuing identity and travel documents to Afghan citizens whose asylum applications have been rejected or who have committed crimes in host countries.
According to the Associated Press, on Thursday (January 22), 2026, on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Nicosia, Forsell said that the deportation of Afghan citizens who do not qualify for asylum has now become “almost impossible” because these people do not have any identity or travel documents.
He emphasized that one of Sweden’s major concerns is the existence of cases of Afghans who have committed crimes in this country, but due to the lack of necessary documents, it is not possible to deport them.
