The authorities of Slovakia have announced that the border police have detained over 800 irregular migrants since the end of September after the country started carrying out increased patrolling near the border with Hungary.
According to the Ministry of Interior of Slovakia, after the introduction of border controls by the Czech Republic and Austria, the patrol activity near the border with these two countries intensified, which led to the detection of irregular migrants and people smugglers.
Data show that as of September 29, 2022, the authorities of Slovakia detained a total of 801 migrants as well as 14 people smugglers who tried to enter its territory illegally, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Commenting on the current situation, the Minister of Interior of Slovakia, Roman Mikulec, said that the country is carrying out thorough checks to ensure that none of these people threaten the country’s public order and security.
“After the detention of illegal migrants, these persons undergo dactyloscopic fingerprinting and photographing in the information system, so that there is no confusion about the person. At the same time, it is a matter of checking whether it is a person who would represent a threat to public order and security of the Slovak Republic and the EU. However, it is still true that Slovakia is only a transit country for these persons and their final destination is the countries of Western Europe,” Mikulec said.
Taking into account the high number of migrants trying to enter the territory of Slovakia irregularly, the Slovak authorities call on the European Union to do more to prevent irregular migrations.
The Ministry of Interior of Slovakia called n the EU to address secondary migration, especially with Türkiye and Western Balkan countries, as these routes have been the most frequented by those aiming to reach EU countries.
Except for Slovakia, other Central European countries have also been registering a high number of migrants entering their territory irregularly.
Just recently, Austria decided to extend its border controls with Slovakia until October 28. Announcing the news, the Ministry of Interior of Austria said that by taking such a decision, the country aims to combat irregular movement and people smuggling activities.
Similarly, the Czech Republic also decided to prolong border checks with Slovakia as the number who have reached the latter’s territory irregularly has increased by 1,200 per cent so far this year.
SOURCE: Schengen Visa Info
