This bachelor thesis is titled Who has Right to Rights – a Critical Discourse Analysis of the Swedish Government’s Migration Politics and is written by Sofia Lindqvist within the discipline of International Relations.

The thesis takes its departure in the paradox that irregular migrants in Sweden are given different rights depending on which state institution they face. Through its collaboration with the Environmental party, the Swedish government has made it possible for irregular migrants to access extended health care. At the same time, one of the main goals of the current migration policy is to make deportations more effective. This essay aims to explore if the Swedish migration policies are compatible with universal human rights standards. Through a critical discourse analysis of government bills written by the ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the ministry of Justice, this essay looks at dominant discourses in each policy area, exploring which practices that becomes legitimated. In order to carry out this analysis, an analytical frame has been created based on previous theoretical research. The analytical frame focuses on how the contemporary nation state world order can hinder the realization of the universal human rights.

The result of the analysis shows that the dominant discourses on irregular migrants legitimize legislative changes and practices within the different policy areas considered in this essay. This in turn affects the access to human rights for irregular migrants. The analysis also illustrates that more or less excluding discourses lead to different political actions. The thesis conclude that irregular migrants are portrayed differently, but that both the ministry of Health and Social Affairs and the ministry of Justice make use of similar discourses that justify conditional access to human rights for irregular migrants.