Switzerland to Automatically Deport Foreign Criminals

Swiss voters on Sunday approved a plan to automatically deport foreigners who commit serious crimes or benefit fraud, in a significant victory for the nationalist party that pushed the proposal against the will of the government.

Some 52.9 percent of voters backed the proposal put forward by the nationalist Swiss People's Party. The plan was opposed by 47.1 percent of voters.

A government-backed counterproposal failed. It would have required case-by-case review by a judge before an individual was deported.

The government will now have to draft a law requiring automatic expulsion of foreigners found guilty of crimes such as murder, rape, drug dealing or benefit fraud.

"The majority of voters have sent a clear signal that they consider foreign criminality to be a serious problem," Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said in a statement. "The Federal Council respects the will of the people and will set to work on putting the task confided in it into practice."