The government's national coordinator, Teresa Zetterblad, has sent letters to all municipalities to arrange meetings to strengthen the work on voluntary repatriation.
Several municipalities with red-green governments have openly refused.
I can imagine that there are several municipalities that see an opportunity to take a political stance on this, says Wänström, lecturer at Linköping University.
But my opinion is that there are also M-led municipalities that see no need to have these conversations.
“It’s about integrating”
As an example, he mentions Peter Karlsson (M), chairman of the municipal board in Vadstena, who has opposed the government.
"My suggestion is that we don't want to discuss any repatriation. It's about integrating and not sending people home," Karlsson previously told MTV.
Other municipalities, such as the S and M board in Linköping, believe that it is the state and not the municipality that owns the issue.
"In several municipalities, they have had a more pragmatic approach. They believe that it is not something that the municipality has as its area of work," says Wänström.
Polarized question
David Karlsson, professor of public administration at the University of Gothenburg, thinks it is entirely expected that municipalities led by parties that are not in government have refused.
It is also not surprising that M-led municipalities have refused because there are different political priorities at the local and national level. It does not always have to be the same, he says.
There are other examples, but they don't get as much attention because they are not as politicized issues.
