Switzerland trials segregating disruptive asylum seekers

Conspicuous asylum seekers should be housed separately Keystone-SDA

Disruptive asylum seekers will be housed in a separate area in federal asylum centres. The State Secretariat for Migration is trialling a new accommodation concept from summer 2026.

The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) wants to ease the burden on operations in the Federal Asylum Centres, it announced on Wednesday. Asylum seekers whose behaviour disrupts operations are therefore to be housed in a separate area on a trial basis. This should allow more freedom in the general areas.

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The vast majority of asylum seekers in the federal asylum centres are well behaved. However, a few dozen put a strain on operations due to their aggressive behaviour. This minority represents a burden for the other asylum seekers and the staff in the asylum centres.

In the pilot project, these asylum seekers are now to be accommodated in a separate area in future with extra security arrangements but with the same opportunities for employment and going out. The SEM hopes that this will have a positive impact on the other areas of the asylum centres and allow a gradual reduction in security measures there.

The aim is also to test whether adjustments can be made to the infrastructure and support services. The aim is to offer the vast majority of asylum seekers who behave correctly a more open asylum environment characterised by fewer security precautions.

Pilot project for six months

According to the SEM, the pilot project will last six months. During this period, only adult male asylum seekers will be accommodated in the separate areas at the locations in Ticino and the canton of Solothurn if they cause trouble. However, the segregation policy could also be applied to asylum seekers who behave inappropriately outside the asylum centre.

If the concept proves successful, the SEM will extend it to all federal asylum centres. This would require structural adjustments. The SEM currently operates over 30 such centres with around 8,000 accommodation places throughout Switzerland. Around 6,000 asylum seekers are currently accommodated in these centres.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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