At the beginning of April it had become known that the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is examining the dossiers of 3200 of the 9400 provisional Eritreans. The synodal council responded "with dismay, concern and incomprehension," as he writes in the letter to the Minister of Justice.
The Federal Councilor and the SEM had yielded to the political pressure, although objectively there was no reason to do so. "We kindly but urgently ask you to stop the ongoing review of the preliminary recordings immediately and resume them only after the conditions in Eritrea have markedly improved."
Plenty of energy in integration
The provisionally admitted would have already put a lot of energy into their integration, the church representatives say. If these people are deprived of their residence permit, many may land or go underground in emergency aid. Because a safe return to their country is currently not possible.
Reformierte setzen sich bei Sommaruga für Eritreer ein
«Re-examine the status of 3200 Eritreans»
The Reformed Church writes to Sommaruga
BERN - For the reformed Jura-Berne-Solothurn Church, there is no reason to re-examine the status of 3,200 Eritreans admitted temporarily in Switzerland. His synodal advice made it known in an open letter addressed to Federal Councilor Simonetta Sommaruga.
"Consternation, restlessness and misunderstanding" are the terms used in the letter. According to the reformed Church, the federal councilor and the secretariat of state of migration (SEM) have succumbed to political pressure, without reason. "We ask you kindly but insistently to end the current provisional review review and not to resume it until the situation in Eritrea is clearly improved".
The SEM announced at the beginning of April that it intends to re-examine the status of 3200 of the approximately 9400 Eritreans admitted provisionally, following a ruling by the Federal Administrative Court (TAF). Published at the end of August 2017, the latter noted that the Eritrean refugees rejected by Switzerland and forced to return to their country do not run the risk of suffering inhumane treatment, especially if they have fulfilled their military obligations.