Between the first and second half of 2022 the figure rose from 1,610 to 8,862, the German newspaper Bild reported on TuesdayExternal link. Bild referred to a response from the German interior ministry to a query from the right-wing AfD party.
The head of the German Federal Police Union, Heiko Teggatz, said the figures were unsurprising. “Turning people back, like [Germany can do] at the Austrian border, is not possible at the Swiss border,” he told the newspaper. “The [German] interior ministry still refuses to register border controls with Switzerland with the EU and thus deliberately shifts responsibility to the states and municipalities.”
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Switzerland criticised for ‘waving through’ migrants
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German authorities have criticised Switzerland for allowing migrants to transit to neighbouring countries.
The southwest state of Baden-Württemberg is particularly affected by irregular migration via Switzerland. Hans-Ulrich Rülke, leader of the Free Democratic Party in Baden-Württemberg, has therefore called for increased border controls – even on the Swiss side.
The national border must be “more effectively protected on the Swiss side against illegal migration”, he said, adding that “this protection does not seem to exist at the moment”.
Bild says the trend continued in January 2023. According to preliminary figures, there were 922 illegal entries via Switzerland – “and these are only the ones recorded”, it said, pointing out that the German police reckon they catch about a third of those people entering the country without authorisation.
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Switzerland and Germany adopt plan on irregular migration
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Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter and German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser have agreed to an action plan to combat irregular migration.
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
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A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.
Sharp rise in reports of suspicious sports betting in Switzerland
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Last year the Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority received 184 reports of suspicious activities in connection with 166 sports competitions.
Swiss fencers apologise for diplomatic scandal with Israel
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Two days after causing a diplomatic scandal at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, the Swiss fencers responsible have published a jointly signed apology on Instagram.
Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
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The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.
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Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.
Switzerland’s first padel court on water built in Arosa
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Switzerland's first padel tennis court on water will open on the Obersee in Arosa, canton Graubünden, for the 2025 summer season.
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Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.
Jackie Chan to be honoured for life’s work at Locarno Film Festival
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Martial artist Jackie Chan will receive an Honorary Leopard, a lifetime achievement award, from the Locarno Film Festival in southern Switzerland in August.
Novartis raises forecast again after strong Q1 results
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Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has continued the strong pace of growth of recent quarters in the first three months of 2025.
Swiss canton holds first general meeting on winegrowing
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More than 250 professionals attended the first general meeting of the Valais wine industry on Monday in Conthey, western Switzerland.
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Illegal immigration into Switzerland almost tripled in 2022
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More than 52,000 cases of illegal migration were recorded from January to December, about 33,000 more than the previous year.
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