In referendums on changes to Swiss asylum rules, 68 per cent of voters said 'yes', and also voted in favour to limit access for non-European job-seekers.
The ‘yes’ campaign’s win comes despite warnings of damage to Switzerland’s humanitarian reputation with the country home to humanitarian agencies including the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Voters accepted the arguments of right-wing Justice Minister Christoph Blocher that the new regulations were necessary to fight alleged abuse.
Part of the tougher legislation requires that all asylum-seekers have a passport.
"The people have said they do not want abuse (of the system) but they want to maintain the humanitarian traditions of Switzerland," Mr Blocher told TSR television.
According to the minister, less than half of asylum requests turn out to be valid.
Mr Blocher’s ministry reports that the two law changes have already been passed by parliament and the government, but opponents raised enough signatures to force a national vote.
Opposition disappointment
It is the latest move by an industrial power to raise barriers against asylum abuse as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Swiss Socialist Party, one of the few parties to oppose the changes, said it was disappointed by the outcome despite the legislation’s popularity ahead of the vote.
"Switzerland has one of the hardest asylum laws in Europe and that does not help our reputation," Thomas Christen, secretary-general the Swiss Socialist Party, told Reuters.
Swiss religious associations including Protestant, Catholic and Jewish bodies, issued a joint statement criticising the result, and said it did not "provide the appropriate solutions for the existing problems".
UN concern
The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR had expressed concern about toughening the asylum code before the Swiss ballot.
In a statement it said it regretted that Switzerland had backed "restrictive" new laws.
Spokesman William Spindler said the agency, which says the passport requirement may bar genuine refugees, would be watching to ensure that treatment of asylum-seekers was in line with international rules.
The new law will also deny financial assistance to unsuccessful asylum-seekers and threatens them with longer periods of detention if they refuse to leave.
Asylum figures down
The new measures were proposed despite figures showing that asylum applications in the country of 7.5 million people had been falling sharply in line with a worldwide trend.
According to official figures just over 10,000 people sought asylum in Switzerland in 2005, down 29 per cent from the previous year.
It was also less than half the 21,037 who applied in 2003.