Brežice Residents Told Illegal Migration Under Control

By , 16 Oct 2018, 10:20 AM News
The location of Brežice The location of Brežice Wikipedia

Share this:

STA, 15 October 2018 - Brežice, the municipality on the border with Croatia which suffered the brunt of the migration crisis in 2015 and 2016, received assurances from the interior minister on Monday that the police were coping with illegal migrations on the southern border. 

Minister Boštjan Poklukar met Brežice Mayor Ivan Molan and other representatives of the local community as part of a series of visits to local communities designed to assuage their concerns in the wake of the recent surge in illegal migrations.

He said that temporary reception centres in which migrants would be held for up to 72 hours to complete identification procedures would be set up in some of the border police districts only in case of increased illegal migrations and with the government's endorsement.

Such centres would entail additional premises of police departments. "We're certainly not talking about accommodation or reception centres as seen in the migration crisis in 2015 and 2016. Since the main migration route doesn't cross Brežice territory, there's no need for any additional facilities there."

Mayor Molan said he was pleased with the meeting, having received assurances that the municipality would be the first to be notified of any potential change along the border, rather than having to learn about it from the media.

The minister also met the heads of the local communities of Dobova and Jesenice na Dolenjskem, which are part of the Brežice municipality. Speaking for Dobova, the major railway border crossing with Croatia, Mihael Boranič said he would not want to see a repeat of the situation seen in 2015 and 2016.

Meanwhile, Bogdan Palovšnik said that his community of Jesenice na Dolenjskem disagreed with the plan to set up a registration centre at the Obrežje border crossing, mainly because the government failed to deliver on its promises in the last migration influx.

However, the community will reconsider its opinion after today's meeting. "Based on Mr Poklukar's assurances, we expect the police to give an ear to what we want and need and to make our life on the border easier," Palovšnik said.

The Novo Mesto and Koper police districts, which lie on the new migration route through Slovenia, have reported apprehending a total of 91 illegal migrants since Friday. Out of the 58 apprehended in the Koper district, eight asked for asylum, as did eight of the 33 apprehended in the district of Novo Mesto.

Photo galleries and videos

This websie uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.