Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 13, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleThe Swiss parliament has backed a motion to intensify border controls to curb illegal immigration and cross-border crime, now moving to the federal cabinet for legislation.
ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss upper house of parliament on Thursday backed a motion to intensify border controls in order to reduce illegal immigration and contain cross-border crime.
The proposal, which had already passed the lower house, urged the government to step up controls in the short and medium term, and be more vigorous in expelling people without a valid residence permit who do not apply for asylum.
It said steps taken by neighbouring countries should be taken into account, but warned against "systematic controls" of everyone entering Switzerland that could hurt the economy.
The Swiss initiative now passes to the federal cabinet to draw up corresponding legislation.
Neighbouring Germany in September reintroduced border checks as part of a tougher stance on migration and transnational crime, and in February extended the measures for six months.
On Wednesday, Austria ordered an immediate halt to family reunifications for asylum claimants, seeking to address concern about immigration that has stoked support for the far-right.
(Reporting by Dave Graham, editing by John Revill)
The main topic is the Swiss parliament's motion to intensify border controls to reduce illegal immigration and cross-border crime.
The motion aims to curb illegal immigration and crime but warns against systematic controls that could harm the economy.
Germany reintroduced border checks, and Austria halted family reunifications for asylum claimants.
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