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Asylum applications in Chiasso have fallen sharply. An association wants to ensure that this also reaches politics.
The Ticino border town of Chiasso acquired national importance during the election campaign. Right-wing politicians denounced the wrong migration policy and dubbed Chiasso the “Lampedusa of Switzerland”. Since the end of the election campaign in October, Chiasso has stopped making any negative headlines.
Number of asylum seekers dropped by 50 percent
At the beginning of the year, the canton of Ticino closed an emergency shelter. The Federal Office for Migration (SEM) relocates asylum seekers to other asylum regions in Switzerland. In Chiasso – as throughout Ticino – the number of asylum seekers has fallen. Specifically: from around 600 to 300, i.e. by 50 percent.
Legend:
The asylum seekers arrive at the Chiasso train station.
Keystone/Pablo Gianinazzi
Fernando Buzzi, deputy coordinator of the “Mendrisiotto regione aperta” association, says the following: “Whether there are 600 or 300, these people live in difficult conditions. When they get better, we all get better.” The association (German: “Open Region Mendrisiotto”) was created as a response to the election campaign polemics of last autumn.
The high number of asylum seekers at the time was problematic for the town of Chiasso, says Buzzi. He emphasizes that one in ten of them commits a petty crime or becomes a criminal, but that this number is no different from Basel or Zurich. Chiasso only came into the spotlight because of the right-wing parties’ election campaign.
End of the election campaign – end of the debate
The association is fighting to ensure that the problems surrounding the asylum system can no longer be exploited in the future. He also tries to give meaning to the everyday lives of asylum seekers. “It is better to organize football games or lunches instead of crying and complaining about the asylum seekers,” says Buzzi.
Legend:
The “Mendrisiotto regione aperta” association wants to give meaning to the everyday lives of asylum seekers and, for example, offers football games on Saturdays. The city of Chiasso provides the club with the gymnasium.
SRF
The newly founded association has more than 100 active members. New ones are added every day, says club coordinator Willy Lubrini. The club members want to build bridges between asylum seekers and civil society.
If we hear comments that are discriminatory, we intervene immediately.
For example, the refugees can train with the local football club and retired teachers offer English courses. Another club activity is observing public debate.
The association wants to place a counter statement in the media. “If we hear statements that are discriminatory, we intervene immediately. We no longer want to leave the discussion to the right-wing populists. We’ve been doing this for far too long,” says Willy Lubrini.
However, he is also self-critical. As a SP member, he complains that the SP has left the migration discourse and its problems to the Ticino right-wing party Lega and the SVP for too long. This is now over in Mendrisiotto. Seen in this way, the whole election campaign polemic surrounding Chiasso also had something good, says Lubrini.