STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish far-right party demanding sharp cuts in immigration has more than doubled its support in a parliamentary election.

Ironically, the surge for the far-right Sweden Democrats means the country’s government itself is poised to shift to the left, since many of the Sweden Democrats’ new voters defected from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s center-right coalition. That left Stefan Lofven’s Social Democrats and its smaller partners as the top vote-getter in Sunday’s election.

Here’s a guide to Sweden’s shifting political situation:

A NEW GOVERNMENT IS COMING

Reinfeldt’s four-party coalition, known as the Alliance, is out after eight years of tax cuts and pro-market policies that critics say have eroded Sweden’s welfare system. The prime minister says he will resign Monday.

The Alliance lost 31 seats in the 349-member Parliament, paving the way for the left-leaning Social Democrats to start coalition talks on forming a new government.

Still, those talks are going to be complicated. Even with the support of the smaller Green and Left parties, the Social Democrats’ bloc would only have 158 seats in Parliament, 17 short of a majority. It’s also unclear if Lofven can get any support from the center-right parties.

A SURGE FOR THE FAR-RIGHT

Far-right parties with an anti-immigration agenda have gained ground across Europe for more than a decade. Sweden was an exception until four years ago when the Sweden Democrats entered Parliament.

Born out of a radical nationalist movement with neo-Nazi links, the Sweden Democrats have softened their rhetoric and expelled openly racist members. On Sunday they surged from 20 to 49 seats to become the third biggest party in Sweden’s parliament. The Brussels-based European Jewish Congress called the vote a “wake-up call for Sweden and the rest of Europe.”

This year, Sweden expects to accept up to 80,000 asylum-seekers from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan, among other countries. Relative to Sweden’s population, that’s the biggest flow in the 28-nation European Union.

Surveys show about 40 percent of Swedes want less immigration. Yet before the Sweden Democrats, no party in parliament wanted to tighten the rules.

The other parties see it as their moral duty to keep wealthy Sweden’s borders open to refugees fleeing war and poverty — and are likely to reach agreements across the political divide to keep the Sweden Democrats from having any influence on immigration.

MINORITY GOVERNMENT DEADLOCK

It looks like Lofven will be in charge of a weak left-leaning minority government that’s going to struggle to push its agenda through parliament.

Lofven won’t reverse Reinfeldt’s most popular reforms, such as tax cuts for middle-income earners. The Social Democrats only want to raise taxes for people making more than $100,000 a year. But he has vowed to remove the tax breaks that made it cheaper for companies to hire young employees.

No dramatic shift in foreign policy is expected. Sweden, a member of the EU, will remain outside NATO and keep its krona instead of using the euro, the EU’s common currency.

___

Karl Ritter can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karl_ritter

• Politics & Government
• Political Parties & Movements
• Sweden Democrats

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish far-right party demanding sharp cuts in immigration has more than doubled its support in a parliamentary election.

Ironically, the surge for the far-right Sweden Democrats means the country’s government itself is poised to shift to the left, since many of the Sweden Democrats’ new voters defected from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s center-right coalition. That left Stefan Lofven’s Social Democrats and its smaller partners as the top vote-getter in Sunday’s election.

Here’s a guide to Sweden’s shifting political situation:

A NEW GOVERNMENT IS COMING

Reinfeldt’s four-party coalition, known as the Alliance, is out after eight years of tax cuts and pro-market policies that critics say have eroded Sweden’s welfare system. The prime minister says he will resign Monday.

The Alliance lost 31 seats in the 349-member Parliament, paving the way for the left-leaning Social Democrats to start coalition talks on forming a new government.

Still, those talks are going to be complicated. Even with the support of the smaller Green and Left parties, the Social Democrats’ bloc would only have 158 seats in Parliament, 17 short of a majority. It’s also unclear if Lofven can get any support from the center-right parties.

A SURGE FOR THE FAR-RIGHT

Far-right parties with an anti-immigration agenda have gained ground across Europe for more than a decade. Sweden was an exception until four years ago when the Sweden Democrats entered Parliament.

Born out of a radical nationalist movement with neo-Nazi links, the Sweden Democrats have softened their rhetoric and expelled openly racist members. On Sunday they surged from 20 to 49 seats to become the third biggest party in Sweden’s parliament. The Brussels-based European Jewish Congress called the vote a “wake-up call for Sweden and the rest of Europe.”

This year, Sweden expects to accept up to 80,000 asylum-seekers from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan, among other countries. Relative to Sweden’s population, that’s the biggest flow in the 28-nation European Union.

Surveys show about 40 percent of Swedes want less immigration. Yet before the Sweden Democrats, no party in parliament wanted to tighten the rules.

The other parties see it as their moral duty to keep wealthy Sweden’s borders open to refugees fleeing war and poverty — and are likely to reach agreements across the political divide to keep the Sweden Democrats from having any influence on immigration.

MINORITY GOVERNMENT DEADLOCK

It looks like Lofven will be in charge of a weak left-leaning minority government that’s going to struggle to push its agenda through parliament.

Lofven won’t reverse Reinfeldt’s most popular reforms, such as tax cuts for middle-income earners. The Social Democrats only want to raise taxes for people making more than $100,000 a year. But he has vowed to remove the tax breaks that made it cheaper for companies to hire young employees.

No dramatic shift in foreign policy is expected. Sweden, a member of the EU, will remain outside NATO and keep its krona instead of using the euro, the EU’s common currency.

___

Karl Ritter can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karl_ritter

• Politics & Government
• Political Parties & Movements
• Sweden Democrats

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish far-right party demanding sharp cuts in immigration has more than doubled its support in a parliamentary election.

Ironically, the surge for the far-right Sweden Democrats means the country’s government itself is poised to shift to the left, since many of the Sweden Democrats’ new voters defected from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s center-right coalition. That left Stefan Lofven’s Social Democrats and its smaller partners as the top vote-getter in Sunday’s election.

Here’s a guide to Sweden’s shifting political situation:

A NEW GOVERNMENT IS COMING

Reinfeldt’s four-party coalition, known as the Alliance, is out after eight years of tax cuts and pro-market policies that critics say have eroded Sweden’s welfare system. The prime minister says he will resign Monday.

The Alliance lost 31 seats in the 349-member Parliament, paving the way for the left-leaning Social Democrats to start coalition talks on forming a new government.

Still, those talks are going to be complicated. Even with the support of the smaller Green and Left parties, the Social Democrats’ bloc would only have 158 seats in Parliament, 17 short of a majority. It’s also unclear if Lofven can get any support from the center-right parties.

A SURGE FOR THE FAR-RIGHT

Far-right parties with an anti-immigration agenda have gained ground across Europe for more than a decade. Sweden was an exception until four years ago when the Sweden Democrats entered Parliament.

Born out of a radical nationalist movement with neo-Nazi links, the Sweden Democrats have softened their rhetoric and expelled openly racist members. On Sunday they surged from 20 to 49 seats to become the third biggest party in Sweden’s parliament. The Brussels-based European Jewish Congress called the vote a “wake-up call for Sweden and the rest of Europe.”

This year, Sweden expects to accept up to 80,000 asylum-seekers from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan, among other countries. Relative to Sweden’s population, that’s the biggest flow in the 28-nation European Union.

Surveys show about 40 percent of Swedes want less immigration. Yet before the Sweden Democrats, no party in parliament wanted to tighten the rules.

The other parties see it as their moral duty to keep wealthy Sweden’s borders open to refugees fleeing war and poverty — and are likely to reach agreements across the political divide to keep the Sweden Democrats from having any influence on immigration.

MINORITY GOVERNMENT DEADLOCK

It looks like Lofven will be in charge of a weak left-leaning minority government that’s going to struggle to push its agenda through parliament.

Lofven won’t reverse Reinfeldt’s most popular reforms, such as tax cuts for middle-income earners. The Social Democrats only want to raise taxes for people making more than $100,000 a year. But he has vowed to remove the tax breaks that made it cheaper for companies to hire young employees.

No dramatic shift in foreign policy is expected. Sweden, a member of the EU, will remain outside NATO and keep its krona instead of using the euro, the EU’s common currency.

___

Karl Ritter can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karl_ritter

• Politics & Government
• Political Parties & Movements
• Sweden Democrats

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish far-right party demanding sharp cuts in immigration has more than doubled its support in a parliamentary election.

Ironically, the surge for the far-right Sweden Democrats means the country’s government itself is poised to shift to the left, since many of the Sweden Democrats’ new voters defected from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s center-right coalition. That left Stefan Lofven’s Social Democrats and its smaller partners as the top vote-getter in Sunday’s election.

Here’s a guide to Sweden’s shifting political situation:

A NEW GOVERNMENT IS COMING

Reinfeldt’s four-party coalition, known as the Alliance, is out after eight years of tax cuts and pro-market policies that critics say have eroded Sweden’s welfare system. The prime minister says he will resign Monday.

The Alliance lost 31 seats in the 349-member Parliament, paving the way for the left-leaning Social Democrats to start coalition talks on forming a new government.

Still, those talks are going to be complicated. Even with the support of the smaller Green and Left parties, the Social Democrats’ bloc would only have 158 seats in Parliament, 17 short of a majority. It’s also unclear if Lofven can get any support from the center-right parties.

A SURGE FOR THE FAR-RIGHT

Far-right parties with an anti-immigration agenda have gained ground across Europe for more than a decade. Sweden was an exception until four years ago when the Sweden Democrats entered Parliament.

Born out of a radical nationalist movement with neo-Nazi links, the Sweden Democrats have softened their rhetoric and expelled openly racist members. On Sunday they surged from 20 to 49 seats to become the third biggest party in Sweden’s parliament. The Brussels-based European Jewish Congress called the vote a “wake-up call for Sweden and the rest of Europe.”

This year, Sweden expects to accept up to 80,000 asylum-seekers from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan, among other countries. Relative to Sweden’s population, that’s the biggest flow in the 28-nation European Union.

Surveys show about 40 percent of Swedes want less immigration. Yet before the Sweden Democrats, no party in parliament wanted to tighten the rules.

The other parties see it as their moral duty to keep wealthy Sweden’s borders open to refugees fleeing war and poverty — and are likely to reach agreements across the political divide to keep the Sweden Democrats from having any influence on immigration.

MINORITY GOVERNMENT DEADLOCK

It looks like Lofven will be in charge of a weak left-leaning minority government that’s going to struggle to push its agenda through parliament.

Lofven won’t reverse Reinfeldt’s most popular reforms, such as tax cuts for middle-income earners. The Social Democrats only want to raise taxes for people making more than $100,000 a year. But he has vowed to remove the tax breaks that made it cheaper for companies to hire young employees.

No dramatic shift in foreign policy is expected. Sweden, a member of the EU, will remain outside NATO and keep its krona instead of using the euro, the EU’s common currency.

___

Karl Ritter can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karl_ritter

• Politics & Government
• Political Parties & Movements
• Sweden Democrats

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Federal authorities want to build a new South Texas immigration lockup for families amid an unprecedented surge in the number of youngsters pouring across the U.S. border, a federal official said Thursday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is proposing a residential center in the town of Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio, agency spokeswoman Adelina Pruneda said.

“Structures on the site may be used temporarily to house up to 680 residents while the new facilities are built,” she said.

Pruneda said ICE isn’t discussing further details, including how many adults and children the 50-acre facility would house, how much it would cost or when it might be ready.

ICE is working to “finalize contracts with construction and service providers” for the South Texas facility, she said.

The spike in unaccompanied children and families crossing the border has strained federal authorities’ capacity to house those arrested on immigration charges. Many of the immigrants say they are fleeing drug and gang violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Some are seeking asylum. Others are held in detention while awaiting deportation or placement with relatives already in the U.S.

Last month, federal authorities converted an all-male facility in Karnes City, southeast of San Antonio, to accept 532 mothers and their children. Another immigration center for families in Pennsylvania and a temporary site in New Mexico have a combined capacity of about 800.

“ICE’s family residential centers are an effective option to maintain family units as they await the outcome of immigration hearings or return to their home countries,” Pruneda said in a statement. “ICE ensures that family detention facilities operate in an open environment that includes play rooms, social workers, medical care, and classrooms with state-certified teachers and bilingual teachers.”

The plan is being decried by advocacy groups, who point to the fraught history of a past Texas family immigration lockup, the T. Don Hutto detention center, northeast of Austin. The ACLU and University of Texas Immigration Law Clinic sued in 2007 over incarcerating families there, alleging inhumane conditions.

Authorities in 2009 removed all families and sent them to the Pennsylvania facility, and Hutto now only houses women.

“The lesson from Hutto is that detention is inappropriate for kids and their families and I think that viewpoint has already been proven,” said Bob Libal, executive director of Grassroots Leadership, an organization that opposes the use of for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers.

Libal also expressed concern about locating the new immigration center in isolated Dilley, on Interstate 35 about 85 miles north of the border city of Laredo.

“When you put detention centers in remote areas, far away from legal services or the eyes of community members or proper oversight, it makes it more likely that bad things are going to happen,” Libal said.

• Immigration Issues
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• Texas