World Immigration News

In Sweden, Lawen Redar embodies the Social Democrats' shift on immigration and integration

Release Date
2025-12-06
Media
Le Monde
Summary
Lawen Redar, 36, a lawyer, MP since 2014, and daughter of immigrants, was appointed on September 24 as the Swedish Social Democratic Party’s spokesperson on integration — a position that had been vacant since 2010. Before taking on the role, she spent two years traveling across Sweden and visiting 180 disadvantaged neighborhoods marked by poverty and, often, organized crime. These areas are home to about 700,000 people, including 170,000 children, most of whom are of foreign origin.

From her nationwide tour, Redar produced more than 80 proposals, eight of which have been incorporated into the party platform ahead of the September 13, 2026 legislative elections. After losing the 2022 election to the right and far-right — in a campaign dominated by immigration and security issues — the Social Democrats are determined to avoid another defeat. Inspired partly by Denmark’s Social Democrats, the party now supports a more restrictive migration policy and stricter integration requirements for newcomers.
Tags
Sweden