Swiss voters have ratified new immigration laws effectively blocking non-European unskilled workers from entering the country

Bradley S. Klapper:

More than 67 percent voted in favor of the stricter rules on asylum, originally approved by the Swiss government in December. The proposal was overwhelmingly accepted in all of Switzerland's 26 cantons, according to results released by the federal government.

The government says the law is designed to prevent abuses in the system caused by non-refugees finding ways to stay indefinitely in Switzerland. It makes it easier to send home people whose asylum requests have been rejected, which the government says will allow it to devote more resources to real refugees.

Those refusing to leave despite a rejected application can now be denied social welfare. Adults deemed to be only posing as refugees can be imprisoned for up to two years, and children can be kept in state custody for one year even if they are never charged with a crime.

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