A border police officer gesticulates at a map of Switzerland as two migrants with backpacks are informed they've crossed into the Alpine nation from Italy, and that they have no right to be there without documents. It's an ordinary morning at the Chiasso train station.
Nestled between Italy's Como and the Alps, Switzerland's southernmost city sees 30 to 40 foreigners without papers arrive each day, seeking refuge status or simply in transit before heading to Germany or Austria. In June that number peaked to roughly 150 to 200, according to Swiss border police.
While the recent spike in migrants from the Middle East and Africa isn't as dramatic as in neighboring France or Italy, it comes at a time when the country, which faces general elections in October, is already trying to keep a lid on legal immigration. The interior minister of Ticino, where Chiasso lies, has had enough.
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