STA, 23 February 2022 – In the first month of 2022 alone, the police dealt with 693 cases of illegal migration, which is more than twice as many as in January last year. By far the most illegal migrants caught last month were Afghans, which is expected given the situation in the country, police said.

Afghan nationals accounted for nearly half of all migrants caught illegally crossing the border in January.

The Koper Police Department remains the most burdened with the hunt for illegal migrants, as almost half of all January cases were processed there, 328 which is about two thirds more than in the same period last year.

The number of captured illegal migrants also increased in the Novo mesto area, where 19 cases were recorded in the same month last year, and 162 in January 2022. The number of illegal crossings at the Maribor Police Department increased from 70 to 125 year on year. summer.

The number of applications for international protection was also much higher. There were more than 500 of them in total, three times more than in January last year, a significant increase in the number of Afghan citizens applying for asylum.

Developments may indicate an expected increase in illegal migration for the rest of the year, police said.