Switzerland defends refugee asset seizure law

Switzerland has defended its law that requires asylum seekers to hand over assets in excess €900, following international criticism of similar proposals in Denmark.

Asylum seekers in Switzerland are required to declare their assets on arrival, and anything over €900 can be seized by the state to pay for their own welfare. The authorities collected a total of 210,000 Swiss francs (€200,000) from 112 people in 2015 under the regulation, public broadcaster SRF reported on Thursday.

"Swiss law states that asylum-seeking refugees who have money have to contribute to the costs that they cause while being here,” government spokeswoman Lea Wertheimer told Swiss television. “That’s why we take their valuables away once they arrive in Switzerland."

However, the Swiss Refugee Council has described the practice as "daylight robbery".

"This is unworthy" Stefan Frey from the SRC was quoted as saying. "This has to change."

A Syrian man told Swiss TV that he had been forced to sell his house to pay human traffickers to help his family flee the conflict in their country, but the money left over was seized when he arrived in Switzerland.

"In Zurich we were controlled by the police. They took away all our money," he said, explaining that he had about €2,600 at the time. "It seems that it is their right to take it away. They gave us a receipt. The officers promised that the money would be returned, but until now this has not happened."

Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but it is part of the Schengen Zone, which is supposed to enable passport-free travel between countries

The Swiss government’s defence comes as UN refugee agency and human rights groups have condemned Danish proposals to seize migrants' cash and other assets worth more than 10,000 kroner (€1,340) to pay for their stay. Danish MPs debated the plans on Wednesday and the bill is expected to pass later in the month.

Wedding rings and other items of sentimental value will not be included in the plans. The UNHCR on Wednesday criticised the proposals, saying it was hard to believe that the country wanted to confiscate the few belongings that asylum seekers had managed to save.

However, Integration Minister Inger Stojberg insisted that the measures simply put asylum seekers on an equal footing with jobless Danes, who must sell assets above a certain level to claim benefits.