Migration: Do not overstrain the willingness to accept

The change takes place in a difficult environment with several parallel crises. On Tuesday, Karin Keller-Sutter handed over the key to the Justice Department to Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. On the left, there are great expectations that the SP woman will change course, especially in asylum policy. In the election campaign for the Federal Council, she said that Switzerland should also take in climate refugees – or extend protection status S to people from Iran.

However, Baume-Schneider will also land on the ground of reality. It takes a thick skin to head the Justice Department. Karin-Keller Sutter felt this in the current year. Because of the asylum policy, the FDP Federal Councilor was exposed to massive attacks from the SVP and the party-affiliated press. Criticism was even sharper only in the case of Keller-Sutter’s predecessor, Simonetta Sommaruga: the right-wing politicians downright branded her as an enemy, even though the social democrat pursued a pragmatic asylum policy.

The situation has changed dramatically since Sommaruga handed over the baton to Keller-Sutter four years ago. At that time, the number of asylum seekers was low. Shortly before Sommaruga’s change of department, the Federal Council therefore decided to regularly take in a certain number of war refugees. Now the authorities are on the attack. This year around 100,000 people sought refuge in Switzerland. In addition to the approximately 70,000 people seeking protection from Ukraine, there are likely to be around 25,000 more asylum applications. In consultation with the cantons, Keller-Sutter pulled the emergency brake: for the time being, she suspended the admission of several hundred particularly vulnerable refugees.

The outcry from the left followed promptly: Keller-Sutter was cold-hearted. The criticism is unfair. Rarely has Switzerland been so generous in accepting people seeking protection as it was this year. With the rapid activation of Status S, the Federal Council took in tens of thousands of war refugees from Ukraine in an unbureaucratic manner. Switzerland is one of those countries that accommodate an above-average number of people from the country in proportion to the size of the population.

Keller-Sutter and her department made mistakes. The direct assignment of Ukrainian women to host families from the federal asylum centers caused chaos in the cantons. In November it still seemed as if those responsible were talking the situation up. Despite the number of asylum seekers, which rose sharply in parallel with those of the Ukraine refugees, Keller-Sutter did not want to speak of a crisis. The following day, the canton of Lucerne declared an emergency in the asylum area. And a month later, the Federal Council decided that up to 500 members of the army should help with the care of refugees.

But overall, Switzerland has mastered the challenges well. The admission of such a large number of people seeking protection was surprisingly quiet. Keller-Sutter mostly steered her department through the crisis with a sure hand. In the area of ​​asylum, the scope is limited, especially since the last reform only came into force in 2019. However, the Minister of Justice persistently campaigned for the return of rejected asylum seekers to countries such as Algeria to be possible again.

Keller-Sutter also acted skilfully at the European level. It is true that Switzerland cannot solve the EU’s migration problems. But the Federal Councilor rightly took an active part in the meetings of interior ministers in the EU. With the Dublin and Schengen agreements, Switzerland participates in a similar way to a member state in European asylum and security policy. It is in their interest to address undesirable developments. Schengen and Dublin grant extensive rights of participation, even if Bern is not allowed to have a say. It is also thanks to Switzerland that Serbia, under pressure from the EU, has adapted its relaxed visa practice for certain countries.

Keller-Sutter has repeatedly shown that she has good political instincts. The transit migration of primarily young Afghans from Austria through Switzerland made waves in Germany. Bern and Berlin recently agreed on an action plan against irregular migration. It is questionable whether the paper will bring much that is new. But politics is also about symbolism: the action plan has calmed things down on the other side of the Rhine. The alternative would be for Germany to carry out border controls. That is neither in the interests of Switzerland nor of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.

Baume-Schneider may set different accents than Keller-Sutter in terms of rhetoric and details. So it should try to quickly resume the admission of refugees in need of protection. But exaggerated expectations will disappoint the new Federal Councilor. Basically, little is likely to change in terms of asylum policy, in which the cantons play a key role.

Realism is particularly important in the 2023 election year. Migration, immigration and the nine million Swiss are likely to play an important role. The SVP is planning a new initiative to limit immigration. Instead of pursuing left-wing postulates, the new justice minister will be busy defending existing migration and asylum policies. It should not overstrain the receptiveness and solidarity of the population.