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Twice as many illegal migrants in Switzerland in 2015: report

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Swiss Customs Administration revealed Tuesday that 31,038 undocumented migrants were registered in the country last year, up from 14,265 in 2014.

Representing a 118 percent increase, authorities indicated that canton Ticino hosted the highest number of illegal migrants, with 10,873 immigrants living in the southern region bordering Italy.

Eastern Switzerland registered almost 7,000 cases, while Basel-Schaffhausen and Vaud-Valais regions recorded 6,433 and 5,367 cases respectively.

Figures reveal that 18,036 asylum requests were documented in the confederation last year compared to 6,347 in 2014.

The number of people smugglers caught by Swiss authorities is also on the up, with 466 cases uncovered last year compared to 384 two years ago.

Close to 20,000 people were barred from entering Switzerland in 2015 because of entry bans or arrest mandates, an 8 percent increase from 2014 when 18,482 individuals were prevented from reaching Swiss soil. Enditem