Switzerland is recording an upward trend in irregular arrivals
Switzerland recorded around 52,000 cases of illegal entry last year, almost three times the number in 2021. Most of the migrants apprehended were reportedly Afghan and Moroccan nationals.
The number of cases recorded jumped from 18,859 in 2021 to 52,077 in 2022, the Federal Office of Customs and Border Protection (BAZG) announced in a press release on Thursday (19 January).
The increase in numbers between December 2021 and December 2022 is “mainly due to the irregular entry of migrants into Switzerland via the eastern border and the southern border,” said the office, citing transitions from Austria and Italy.
The migrants who entered Switzerland irregularly are mainly of Afghan and Moroccan nationality, the office added.
In the first year of the pandemic, the number of unauthorized entries into Switzerland was 11,043 – Thursday’s figures show how migration movements decreased during the pandemic, but increased again in the second half of 2021. It was then that most of the COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
However, the number of people arrested on suspicion of human smuggling seems to have remained stable: according to the BAZG, it was 476 last year, which corresponds to the 478 arrests in 2021.
Contributions from Italy, Austria
Most migrants entered Switzerland from Austria and Italy, reports the Swiss daily sheet Newspaper. According to reports, 852 of the nearly 6,000 people arrested in December were handed over to authorities in neighboring countries, mainly Italy. In November, Italy reportedly took back 571 people daily sheet.
Many migrants arriving from Austria reportedly used an Austrian asylum procedure card for identification, Switzerland reported ATS News agency citing Swiss border guards.
Last September, the Swiss and Austrian governments agreed on a plan to combat irregular migration at the Swiss-Austrian border. This included joint checks on cross-border trains and increased measures against people smugglers.
A similar agreement followed in December when Switzerland and Germany announced joint measures aim to stem the flow of migrants and asylum seekers across their borders, notably through joint police patrols on trains. The move followed media reports carried out by Swiss authorities Allow migrants to travel from Austria to Basel via Switzerlandand supports them on their onward journey to Northern Europe.
Switzerland is part of the European Schengen zone with open borders. There are normally no passport controls at the borders with the surrounding countries of France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein, but all Schengen member states can reintroduce temporary border controls “in the event of a serious threat to public order or internal security”. declares the EU.
Continue reading: Switzerland is accused of helping migrants reach other European countries
Balkan route more active
In 2022, the Balkan route saw a significant increase in irregular migration. the The EU border protection agency Frontex said it had spotted them around 330,000 entries into the European Union in total (64% more than in the previous year), of which 145,600 or 45% via the Western Balkans region (136% more than in 2021).
Frontex said this is the highest number of crossings reported on this route since 2015. Most migrants were Syrians, Afghans and Turks; but also nationalities that were not so common on this route, such as Tunisians, Indians and Burundi, were reported.
Switzerland has also felt the effects of this development. In October, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) released a statement noting that Serbia in particular had become a starting point for migrants.
“The number of illegal immigrants entering the western Balkan countries bordering Europe has risen sharply in recent months. With up to 1,100 arrests per week on the eastern border, Switzerland is also severely affected by this stream of migrants.” AFP quotes the secretariat.
According to the SEM, around 24,000 asylum applications were recorded in 2022. This does not include the almost 73,000 Ukrainian refugees who have received temporary protection in Switzerland since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Continue reading: Why has the Balkan migration route become more active again?