Police Report 10,220 Illegal Border Crossings Jan-Aug 2020, Most from Pakistan, Morocco, Afghanistan

By , 18 Sep 2020, 15:39 PM Politics
Police Report 10,220 Illegal Border Crossings Jan-Aug 2020, Most from Pakistan, Morocco, Afghanistan Slovenian Police Facebook

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STA, 18 September 2020 - The police processed some 10,220 illegal crossings of Slovenia's borders until the end of August, up 3.3% compared to the same period in 2019. In summer, the figure was on the rise, in August alone the police handled more than 2,600 cases of illegal migrations, mostly involving citizens from Pakistan, Morocco and Afghanistan.

In the first two months of 2020, the number of illegal crossings of the border was up on the same period in 2019, followed by a lull in illegal migrations caused by anti-corona restrictions. In May, the figure increased to roughly 900 and in summer months it shot up, police data show.

In June, police processed some 1,800 foreigners who had crossed the border illegally, some 2,430 in July and 2,670 in August, and the upward trend is expected to continue in the coming months.

A total of 2,920 asylum seekers were recorded in Slovenia in the first eight months of 2020, most of them were from Morocco. The figure dropped by 13% compared to the same period last year. The police believes the decrease is mostly a result of a drop in the number of Algerian citizens stemming from new migration routes.

The asylum seekers mostly continue on their way heading towards their final destinations after being accommodated at reception facilities in Slovenia, said the police.

According to the Interior Ministry data, 500 requests for international protection were filed in August, mostly by citizens of Morocco and Pakistan. A total of 475 requests were processed, ten were granted protection and 430 cases were stayed.

The latest relevant data show that in the first seven moths of this year, 72 persons were given the asylum status and 85 in the entire 2019. Processed cases totalled 1,548 until the end of July and 3,838 in 2019.

The STA is releasing charts showing relevant statistics regarding the numbers of illegal crossings and asylum seekers or those already granted international protection.

Number of illegal crossings of the border in the first eight months of 2020 and 2019 according to citizenship

Nationality           Number of crossings
                        2020       2019
----------------------------------------
Pakistan                2813       2360
Morocco                 2205        774
Afghanistan             1821       1071
Bangladesh               776        685
Algeria                  577       1440
Croatia                  403        217
Iraq                     332        562
Egypt                    200        161
Syria                    171        469
Iran                     163        504
other                    762       1653
----------------------------------------
total                 10,223       9896

Number of persons handed over to Slovenia's police and handed over by Slovenian authorities in the first eight months of 2020 and 2019

                Handed over to                Handed over to
               Slovenian police             foreign authorities

country            2019     2020              2019     2020
----------------------------------------------------------------
Italy              207      682                58       19
Austria             62       98                 9        6
Croatia             19       18              6457     6781
Hungary              3        6                 0        8
airport            177       86                20        9
----------------------------------------------------------------
total              468      890              6544     6823

Source: Police, Interior Ministry, Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants

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