- Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider visited the federal asylum center in Chiasso.
- The situation in southern Ticino is tense because negative incidents involving asylum seekers in Ticino have increased.
- She has promised measures to improve the situation in the asylum center.
- Cantonal and local authorities are demanding a security concept for the local communities.
The Mendrisiotto (Mendrisio district) currently houses around 600 refugees in the two asylum centers Chiasso and Pasture. However, an upper limit of 350 asylum seekers was agreed with Baume-Schneider’s predecessor Simonetta Sommaruga, the mayor of Chiasso, Bruno Arrigoni, told the media.
The coexistence of Ticino residents and asylum seekers in the municipalities of Chiasso, Balerna and Novazzano has been marred by numerous unpleasant incidents, Arrigoni continued.
40 percent of well-integrated foreigners lived in Chiasso, but this coexistence would now be put to a tough test. Since the beginning of the year, the Chiasso police have been deployed 570 times. Arrigoni calculated that that would be around two missions per day.
The mayor of Balerna, Luca Pagani, also called for a security concept. There has been an increase in thefts from houses and cars in the region in recent months. The Mendrisiotto is a hospitable region, but the asylum center is now perceived as a threat. The relationship between asylum seekers and the population must be “repaired”.
Needs a “clear message”, but which one?
Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider remained extremely vague in her statements to the media. She couldn’t promise anything; she had to analyze the situation carefully first. The exchange with the cantonal and municipal authorities was “open” and they “listened and understood”.
A “clear message” is now needed, but the Federal Councilor did not say what this might look like. She spoke to representatives of the local communities about possible patrols by private security companies. However, nothing has been decided yet.
Baume-Schneider recalled that the asylum situation throughout Switzerland was tense. In addition, one should not forget that the majority of asylum seekers behave correctly.
When asked by a media representative whether she would like to live in Chiasso herself, the Federal Councilor answered in the affirmative with a beaming smile. Baume-Schneider said she wouldn’t just like to live in Chiasso because of the temperature. Ticino is a “solidarity region”.
Disciplinary measures required
The Ticino government president Raffaele De Rosa (center) pointed out the recent increase in illegal entries at the Ticino border. These would further fuel the feeling of insecurity. Illegal acts against women and vulnerable people would put peaceful coexistence in Ticino to a severe test.
The federal government must revise the distribution key for asylum seekers. Like Arrigoni, De Rosa also called for disciplinary action against refugees who do not obey the law.
Since early summer, local and cantonal authorities have been calling for an improvement in the situation inside and outside the federal asylum centers in Mendrisiotto. The Ticino head of the justice and police department Norman Gobbi (Lega) called on Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider in a letter to take “swift and consistent measures”.