Refugee, Asylum Federal Councillor Beat Jans defends Swiss asylum policy

Federal Councillor Beat Jans has rejected criticism of Switzerland's asylum policy. In an interview, the Minister of Justice said that Switzerland was doing well compared to other European countries.

The number of asylum applications had fallen, there were fewer pending cases and more rejected asylum seekers were returning, Jans told the "Tamedia" newspapers. The new 24-hour procedure is working and the security situation in the asylum centers has also improved, according to Jans. In addition, Switzerland had only half as many apprehensions at the border as in the previous year.

The Minister of Justice also commented on the latest developments in asylum policy in European countries. According to Tamedia, a hectic pace has broken out there. He emphasized how delicate certain projects can be and cited Italy as an example. The government there wanted to carry out asylum procedures in Albania, but was turned down by a court in Rome.

Criticism of the election of the new head of the SEM

Jans also defended the choice of the new head of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) in the interview: He was convinced that he had the right man at the helm in Vincenzo Mascioli. He is an experienced practitioner.

Mascioli's nomination for the post had been sharply criticized by the SVP and the FDP in recent weeks. "The choice of Mascioli is the wrong choice," explained SVP spokesperson Andrea Sommer at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. Mascioli has been responsible for Switzerland's repatriation policy as SEM deputy director for several years. During this time, the number of returns had fallen instead of rising.

The current asylum policy is not in the interests of the Swiss population. There is an urgent need to tighten up the asylum system, for example "against the rampant asylum abuse and exploding asylum-related crime".