Switzerland is excelling at removing immigrants slated for deportation, achieving the highest rate in Europe in 2024 with a 60 percent deportation rate and boosting its own progress by 18 percent over 2023.

In total, Switzerland was able to remove 7,000 asylum seekers in 2024, said Beat Jans, the federal councilor responsible for asylum, while speaking at the WEF.

When asked how Switzerland was so successful at returns, Jans said it was by working better with the cantons, which is the term for federal states of Switzerland, according to Swiss outlet RTS.

Jans said it was a “good development” and praised the work of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), which is responsible for obtaining the necessary documents to ensure speedy returns.

Nevertheless, Jans said that pressure on the cantons remains high, even with the high rate of returns. He said he wants to further develop agreements between different countries to ensure deportations can occur.

“Fewer refugees are arriving in Switzerland because we have negotiated better agreements with transit countries, but also with countries of origin to ensure that fewer people put themselves in danger by fleeing. This is a path that Switzerland has paved with its 66 migration agreements. This is a good thing for the people concerned, but also for us as a country,” explained Jans.

According to the Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, many of those returned went back to Algeria, which Switzerland signed a readmission agreement with in 2006.

Now, the Swiss parliament is pushing for an agreement with Morocco, which could boost Switzerland’s rate even higher.

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Source Zero Hedge