More than 7,000 cases in September: the number of people entering Switzerland illegally is increasing

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The number of refugees and migrants entering Switzerland illegally is increasing. The Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (BAZG) reported 7,120 illegal stays for September. That was more than in August and also slightly more than in September a year ago.

Nearly 5,800 illegal stays were registered in August 2023 and approximately 6,700 in September 2022. As the BAZG wrote about the figures on Tuesday, many people who entered the country illegally were Afghan nationals. Many were captured in Ticino. However, the number of arrests was lower than in October 2022. At that time, approximately 8,000 illegal stays were registered.

At the end of September, the BAZG had registered 34,371 cases this year. In 2022, there were approximately 52,000 cases during the year.

Ticino in particular is affected

According to the BAZG, the fact that there are more illegal arrivals in Ticino is mainly due to a shift in migration routes within the Balkans. Until October 2022, the route from Serbia via Hungary and Austria was the most important route to Europe.

Then that changed: refugees and migrants now mainly choose the route from Serbia via Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia to Italy and further north.

The BAZG wants to strengthen border protection in Ticino. At the end of September it confirmed a report in the “SonntagsZeitung” that additional staff would be moved from German-speaking Switzerland to southern Switzerland. (SDA/rus)

Source:Blick