Switzerland’s right-wing Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) has filed a new initiative “To protect borders”. The proposal, backed by 110,000 signatures, demands systematic checks at Swiss frontiers and tighter asylum rules, reported RTS.
Anyone entering Switzerland would face controls. If such checks conflict with international treaties, the Federal Council would be required to renegotiate them—or, failing that, pull out. Exceptions would apply for Swiss citizens, residents with valid permits of at least a year, and cross-border commuters.
The initiative would bar asylum seekers arriving via a “safe” country and cap applications at 5,000 a year. Provisional admission—a status protecting people from deportation to unsafe homelands—would be abolished. Migrants without asylum status would be forced to leave within 90 days; after that, their work contracts and social benefits would lapse.
The UDC/SVP argues that “so-called asylum seekers” exploit the system, raising costs and crime. It points to Germany and Italy, where border checks have coincided with a drop in asylum claims. It says illegal immigration into Switzerland shows little sign of abating. In 2023 some 30,000 people applied for asylum in Switzerland, many arriving with the help of smuggling networks. Most had passed through several “safe” countries en route. In addition, the costs have mounted. Federal spending on asylum rose from CHF 1.5 billion in 2021 to CHF 3.5 billion in 2023—roughly CHF 1,600 in tax per family of four, the party says.
Critics warn the measure would breach Switzerland’s human-rights obligations. By requiring deportations even to countries where torture or inhumane treatment awaits, the plan violates the principle of non-refoulement, says Opération Libero, a liberal campaign group. It is urging parliament to invalidate the initiative entirely.
The UDC/SVP relishes the fight. The party has long thrived on referendums featuring emotive illustrations that pit border control against international law. Whether voters will back it is another matter.
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RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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