I have seen this news from Valais and I think it deserves reading beyond the easy headline. It is not an isolated or "sensational" case. It's pretty representative of how the Swiss system really works when someone strings together crimes.
We are talking about a person who has committed dozens of infractions: thefts, damages, illegal entries... it is not a specific mistake or a bad night. It's a dynamic. And the final response has been the one that sooner or later arrives here: criminal conviction and expulsion from the country.
And here comes the interesting thing. Because many continue with two fairly widespread ideas that do not fit with Swiss reality.
The first: "in Switzerland you can do whatever you want." No. What happens is that the system is a guarantee. They don't expel you the first time. There is a principle of proportionality that is applied in each case, and that implies that the courts analyze the situation before taking a measure as strong as an expulsion. This is not improvisation, it is the basis of Swiss law and the application of the immigration law by the Secrétariat d'État aux migrations (SEM).
The second: "they expel you for anything." Neither. To get to this point you need gravity or accumulation. And in this case, that line has clearly been crossed.
Since the reform on the expulsion of foreigners after crimes, there are situations where judges have practically no margin: if certain criteria are met, the expulsion is applied. And it can also be accompanied by an entry ban for years.
In the end, the Swiss logic is quite clear, although it is sometimes difficult to see it from the outside: initial tolerance, but zero patience with recidivism.
Practical translation for us: coming to work, living your life and following the rules does not pose any problem. But getting into a spiral of crime in Switzerland is not a good idea. It may seem like nothing is happening... until it all happens suddenly.
Source: Watson article https://www.watson.ch/.../225591197-il-a-commis-des...