© AndyRoland
The ethnic group has reportedly been taking advantage of the temporary protection status granted to refugees from Ukraine
Some Romani people have been abusing social benefits granted by Switzerland to Ukrainian refugees, Nau news outlet reported on Tuesday citing Swiss authorities.
The Roma are an ethnic group that has lived throughout the world since their migration from India over 1,000 years ago. They are not recognized as a national minority in Switzerland, and have reportedly been taking advantage of the so-called 'S protection status system' activated in the country shortly after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in early 2022.
S status grants Ukrainian refugees the right to an extended visa-free stay, accommodation, medical care and other social benefits. Those applying for S status also do not have to go through the usual asylum-seeking procedure.According to the report, authorities in Bern have identified at least ten Roma families who have been staying in the city under illegally obtained Ukrainian passports. Alexander Ott, head of Bern's immigration police, told the news outlet that the documents themselves were in fact real, but their owners had no true claim on them.
"We discovered irregularities in the documents. For example, if the driver's license contains different information than the passport, this is often an indication. Or if the people cannot repeat any information contained in the documents," Ott explained.
Reto Kormann, spokesman for the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), told the news outlet that since March 2023 his agency has detected around 30 fake Ukrainian identification papers used to obtain social benefits, and found that in several cases they were produced and sold illegally in Ukraine. He noted that fake travel and identity documents are "not a new phenomenon" in the SEM's line of work. However, cases where the documents are genuine but illegally acquired, as in the cases involving Roma, have previously been few and far between and therefore are more difficult to investigate, he said.
Officials noted that the problem involving the Roma using fake Ukrainian identification has been spreading throughout the country. Georg Carl, head of the migration department in the eastern canton of Graubuenden, told the news outlet he suspected that at least half of the approximately 470 people with status S housed in the region were Roma. And, while Romani communities are known to exist in Ukraine,
these people were unlikely to be refugees from the conflict, as they speak neither Ukrainian nor Russian.Earlier this month, following complaints over similar issues in the St. Gallen canton, Swiss MPs Boris Tschirky and Benedikt Wuerth submitted a request to the Federal Council to make adjustments to the S system to stop its abuse. However, the proposal has not been approved so far.
Reader Comments
Deception lasts till it is revealed - then the response is.....well - who is deceiving who?
Tricksters ALWAYS get revealed - either that or they die miserable and alone, but usually they get exposed before they die alone, then accused, and then justice is delivered upon tricksters in accordance with LAW .
I don't mind gypsies - but I can't stand tricksters. Deception can be entertaining but tricksters with malice - they always get caught.
You ever see that movie - whats his name big Hollywood stud nimble in his youth was in - can't remember his name - but he was a gypsy boxer? Holy shit - when he got aflame - watch out! The fist be flying so swift and fierce with knuckles of pure gypsy gemstone!
Brad Pitt!
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yep....tell me bout it...
tricksters always get caught by the LAW!
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The Swiss ain't innocent in all this - they is pirates in way hiding out in the mountains.
Plus - I really like a fella - fast with the fists - reminds me of my pals in my youth.
Ken
Some say the original pirates were Knights Templars (the 'cross' -bone taken to the 'place of skull', it was a symbol to say they were pyro-ites / fire-types / illuminated)... In South America it is recognised that the Templars were mining silver in Argent-ina (hence Ag being the letters of the element silver). Sadly, like Hitler's moustache, the Jolly Roger easily fell to become synonymous with hideous crime.
Here in the Andean mointains, these salt-hungry land-lubbers are sure thirsty for a bit of sea. As well as landlocked Bolivia having a National Day of the Sea (23rd March... long story, not interesting), they also have the pirate dialect of 'yaaarrrr!'... Everyone shouts it out from time to time... If they were bandy-legged and eye-patched up, you'd think we'd be sailing on the high seas.