European Union border agency Frontex reported that in the first five months of 2022, illegal immigrant activity in the Western Balkan region increased by 167% compared to the same period last year.
Frontex reported that from January to May this year, activity on the Balkan route more than doubled compared to the same period last year, currently making up the largest total number of illegal crossings on any major European migrant route.
Frontex said in a press release this week that 86,420 illegal entries were made into the European Union, an increase of 82% compared to the same period last year, and about half of 40,675 people were registered on the Balkan route. .
The agency said these numbers do not include those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, adding that more than 5.5 million people have fled fighting for Europe since Russia invaded the country in February.
The Slovenian government has said it plans to remove the border fence built at the height of the migration crisis on the Croatian border by the end of the year. https://t.co/nqaldaiW67
– Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) 12 June 2022
“There are 40,675 illegal crossings on the Western Balkan route, or half the total number registered at EU borders. This is almost three times more than in the same period last year. The main nationalities on this route are Syrians and Afghans. Most of the people identified had been in the Western Balkans for some time before trying to enter the EU,” Frontex said in a statement.
The figures come after Balkan country Slovenia decided to remove the fence on its border with Croatia as part of the political changes brought by the new government, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob, a green-liberal politician who replaced the Trump-supporter populist Janez Jansu. after the April elections.
Regions that saw larger increases this year were the eastern land border with Belarus, where there was an increase of 447 percent, and the eastern Mediterranean route to Cyprus, where migrants increased by 213 percent, though lower. other ways.
The new data comes just months after Frontex reported that the number of illegal immigrants rose 78% in January and that the number of immigrants continues to rise overall.
Migration Crisis 2.0: Highest influx of migrants since 2016, if not EU, Ukraine https://t.co/EqJmeBOtD0
– Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) 19 April 2022
Source: Breitbart
