STA, 18 March 2021 - The police processed 630 cases of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021, down from 1,171 in the same period in 2020, in what is a continuation of the seasonal downward trend. Most frequently illegal migrants come from Afghanistan, whereas the number of caught Moroccans has significantly declined.
The police expect the trend to turn upwards again come milder weather.
The number of Afghan migrants who were caught crossing the Slovenian border illegally in January and February this year stands at 113, followed by citizens of Turkey (79), Croatia (72) and Bangladesh (64).
The number of refusals of entry to Slovenia to third country nationals increased by more than 10% in the wake of stepped up Covid-related border restrictions.
Moreover, due to beefed up monitoring amid the epidemic, the total of unauthorised residence cases also increased. Such violations mostly arise from overstaying of citizens of Western Balkans countries.
On the other hand, the number of illegal migrants who request international protection decreased as they usually resume their journey after reaching Slovenia, heading towards their destination countries.
A total of 257 asylum status requests were made in the first two months this year, which compares to 386 in the same two months in 2020. International protection was granted to three persons (18 in January-February 2020), whereas in 21 cases (44) the request was denied.
The number of illegal border crossings in the first two months of 2021 and 2020 according to citizenship
Citizenship No. of crossings
2021 2020
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Afghanistan 113 143
Turkey 79 34
Croatia 72 59
Bangladesh 64 29
Kosovo 54 34
Iraq 34 86
Pakistan 29 257
Egypt 28 65
Syria 23 41
Bosnia-Herzegovina 23 3
Iran 17 14
Slovenia 9 36
Others 111 420
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Total 630 1171Source: Police, Interior Ministry, Office for the Support and Integration of Migrants
