Neuchâtel to introduce fast-track asylum procedure

Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans told reporters on Wednesday that he was taking very seriously the security concerns of Boudry residents about the nearby federal asylum centre. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / LAURENT GILLIERON

Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans has announced that the 24-hour fast-track asylum procedure will also be introduced at the federal asylum centre in Boudry, canton Neuchâtel, in the coming weeks. 

He made the announcement while visiting the federal asylum centre in Boudry in northwest Switzerland on Wednesday. The head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) met cantonal and local representatives and civil society organisations to get a picture of the situation on the ground. He also addressed local concerns about growing insecurity in the area.

Jans told reporters that he was taking residents’ concerns very seriously and that the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and cantonal and municipal authorities had been implementing various social and security measures to improve the security situation around the centre. 

He explained that patrols by private security officers had been introduced to prevent violence and assaults, and a ‘street mediation’ project had also been launched.   

Since 1 January 2024, a canton employee has been partnered with a support team member from SEM. As mediating social workers, the aim is to facilitate contact between the local population and asylum seekers. For example, regular meetings will be organised with local residents. 

No more overcrowding  

The average monthly occupancy rate at the Boudry asylum centre between January 1 and March 1, 2024 was 307 people; its total capacity is 480. According to the authorities, the maximum capacity has not been exceeded since February 2023. A peak of more than 800 people was recorded in autumn 2022.  

+ Why Switzerland is piloting a 24-hour asylum procedure for North Africans

According to Jans, the national measures for the asylum system announced in Chiasso in canton Ticino in February will also be introduced in Boudry in the coming weeks. These include the 24-hour asylum procedure successfully trialled in Zurich. He said the aim was to be able to quickly finalise asylum applications by people from countries of origin with a low recognition rate more quickly.  

In terms of security, it will also be easier to order administrative detention for multiple offenders following the recommendations of Thomas Würgler, the former head of Zurich’s cantonal police. A round table with the federal and cantonal authorities is planned for April in Boudry.  

Boudry is the third federal asylum centre that the justice minister has visited in the past three months, after Basel in January and Ticino in February.

Adapted from German by DeepL/kp/sb

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