Many migrants arrived illegally in Switzerland across the borders with Austria and Italy, the Federal Office of Customs and Border Protection said on Thursday. The increase was mainly due to the influx of migrants from Afghanistan and Morocco.
According to information from border guards, many of those entering the country were in possession of an Austrian asylum procedure card. Most of them were young Afghans who had already been in Europe or Turkey for some time. They mostly want to travel on to France or the UK.
A total of 476 people smugglers were arrested in 2022.
Cooperation with Austria
There had already been a sharp increase in illegal entries in 2021. Since that summer, more and more Afghan migrants have been entering eastern Switzerland illegally by train from Austria. To handle the administrative procedures, the canton of St. Gallen opened a migrant processing centre in Buchs at the beginning of 2022.
Last September, Switzerland and Austria agreed on a bilateral action plan to reduce illegal migration. Among other things, the two countries agreed on additional cross-border searches and operations to combat smugglers. Joint patrols are to be carried out in cross-border rail traffic.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
This content was published on
The Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance on Thursday with the goal of giving as many people as possible access to digital services.
This content was published on
Besides geography, politics and the solidarity of the population play a decisive role in determining which countries people flee to.
Aiding illegal immigrants remains a crime in Switzerland
This content was published on
People who help undocumented immigrants in Switzerland risk running afoul of the law, even if they are acting purely for humanitarian reasons. Parliament has refused to introduce an exception to the law for ‘honourable motives’.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.