http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/migrant-crisis-como-open-shelter-300-migrants-switzerland-tightens-border-control-1576993
Migrant crisis: Como to open shelter for 300 migrants as Switzerland tightens border control
Italian plan comes as Switzerland denies access to migrants, including children.
By Ludovica Iaccino
August 19, 2016 14:24 BST
Italy will set up a temporary shelter in the city of Como, on the border with Switzerland, for as many as 300 migrants unable to continue their journey to other European countries. The decision came as the migrants were denied access to Switzerland and were forced to go back to Como, where they have been living in a park near the San Giovanni train station.
The shelter will open in mid-September in Regina Street and will host 50 pre-fabricated modules and showers, bathrooms and a small health clinic, prefect Bruno Corda said during a televised news conference.
"I'm confident that the people who cannot go to Switzerland will want return to a system of legality," Corda said.
The decision came as Switzerland has come under fire for its decision to tighten border controls and deny access to migrants who, most often, simply want to cross the country to reach their relatives who already live in other European nations.
Earlier in August, Amnesty International demanded clarification from Swiss authorities after reports alleged children who tried to join their parents in Switzerland had been sent back to Italy.
"If a minor has family members in Switzerland who could care for her or him, ultimately Switzerland should process that asylum request," Amnesty International Switzerland said in a statement.
Switzerland motivated its decision by claiming the country had been experiencing an influx of people – mainly from Eritrea, Gambia and Ethiopia – who wanted to cross to reach Germany or other northern European countries, but needed a valid permit.
Miriam Behrens, director of the Swiss Refugee Council (SFH), travelled to the Swiss city of Chiasso and then Como to assess the situation and ensure migrants' rights were respected.
"People who seek protection are not being sufficiently and correctly informed, which leads to confusion regarding exactly when they can lodge their asylum request," SFH said in a statement. "The situation is difficult for all parties concerned."
The prefecture in Como has not responded to a request for comments on the temporary shelter and the current situation in the city.
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http://www.thelocal.ch/20160819/refugee-aid-group-decries-confusion-at-swiss-italian-border
Refugee aid group decries 'confusion' at Swiss border
Published: 19 Aug 2016 10:40 GMT+02:00
A Swiss aid organization has criticized the situation at the Swiss-Italian border, saying many refugees are left in “confusion and uncertainty”.
Miriam Behrens, director of the Swiss Refugee Council (SFH), travelled to the border at Chiasso and to the Italian city of Como on Wednesday and Thursday to assess the situation of refugees and “ensure that the rights of people looking for protection are entirely guaranteed,” she said in a statement.
Switzerland has been under fire for several weeks after turning back thousands of migrants from the Swiss border.
Any refugee has the right to claim asylum when they reach Switzerland. If they do, they should be registered with the Swiss migration office (SEM) and their application processed in due course. If they do not, because they want to transit through Switzerland and claim asylum in another country such as Germany, the terms of the Dublin agreement state they should be sent back to the first EU country they arrived in, in this case Italy.
In July alone over 3,000 people were sent back from Switzerland to Italy, news agencies said last week.
The Swiss border guards office says it is simply applying the law. However the situation has caused chaos in Como, where many refugees are now sleeping at the train station and in parks after being turned back.
Last week Amnesty International called for clarification from the Swiss after reports that children were being sent back from the border.
Now the SFH says confusion at the border is making it difficult for people to claim asylum.
“People who seek protection are not being sufficiently and correctly informed, which leads to confusion regarding exactly when they can lodge their asylum request,” it said in a statement.
“The situation is difficult for all parties concerned,” it added, saying there should be “more transparency” regarding the procedures in place and the asylum process.
It said Swiss border guards “need much more help” in terms of translators and child protection specialists in order to properly deal with those seeking to place an asylum request.
All those who wish to seek asylum in Switzerland should be put into the care of the SEM “even if there are doubts regarding their motives for seeking asylum”, it added.
While the number of people requesting asylum has gone down across the Schengen zone since last year, its member states do not have a satisfactory solution to the question of refugees in transit, it said.
Mechanisms for the redistribution of refugees were needed “to guarantee the protection of those concerned” and Switzerland should play its part in this, said the SFH.
In a statement on its website, the SEM outlined its policy – which applies to minors as well as adult refugees – and stressed that the border “is not closed”, refuting the claims made by some international media.
Switzerland respects the Dublin agreement and “cannot become a country for the transit of unregulated migration”, said the statement.
“Switzerland has long been seeking a unified European policy regarding asylum.”
“The difficult situation for those concerned at the southern border shows that clearly no single European country can meet the challenge alone – not Italy, not Germany and not Switzerland.”
Europe must find “lasting solutions” by working together, it said.
Received on Fri Aug 19 2016 - 11:44:02 EDT