WORLD : Swiss Troops Target Aliens

GENEVA —  Swiss troops will be deployed in joint patrols with customs officers along the country’s frontiers in a bid to stem a flood of illegal immigrants like Africans and Sri Lankans seeking asylum, the Interior Ministry said today.

The measure, already condemned by local newspapers as too little too late, is designed to curb a flow of illegal immigrants that in recent years has swamped Swiss legal procedures. Any immigrant who can reach Swiss territory can then file application for political asylum, a system that has resulted in a 400% increase in applications in the last year.

Once a request for political asylum has been made, the applicant has the right to stay in Switzerland--at public expense--until a decision has been made. This can take years.