LUGANO - Ticino's government said permit numbers for Italian cross-border workers remained high around Mendrisio, Chiasso and Lugano at the end of the first quarter. Hospitals and care homes want the paperwork faster. Some local unions want the checks tighter.
Trains from Como and buses over the Chiasso line were full on weekday mornings. Housing on the Swiss side is the unspoken half of the commute.
A cantonal fight with federal tools
Permits are federal. Crowding is local. Ticino has been shouting across that gap for a decade. The shout is not quieter in 2025.