Young Afghans from Vienna and Bucharest to Buchs
St. Gallen / Buchs – The illegal entry of Afghans from Austria into Switzerland has intensified in recent months. Particularly affected is the customs office in Buchs (Sg).
Since this summer, the municipality of St. Gallen has seen an increasing number of refugees – especially Afghans – getting off trains from Vienna and Bucharest, state councilor Fredy Fässler (PS) told the media. In total, around 2,500 people (between 50 and 260 per week) have illegally entered Switzerland in Buchs since July.
These are in particular young men and adolescents who have long been on the Balkan route to central and western Europe. Arriving in Switzerland, most of them have an indicator of a place of residence in Austria.
The removal of people poses great administrative challenges to these authorities, said Bruno Zanga, commander of the cantonal police. The identity of the people is checked in Buchs, where a first security check is also carried out. As accommodation capacity in Buchs is limited, some migrants are housed in Wil (Sg). However, refugees often disappear in the aftermath of their arrival in Switzerland.