site.btaMigrant Arrests in September Soared Nearly 29% Compared to August

October 22 (BTA) - A total of 1,626 third-country
nationals, residing illegally in Bulgaria, were detained in
September, the Ministry of Interior said in a press release on
Friday.

A number of 154 migrants were arrested at the state border while
 they were trying to enter Bulgaria, 128 of them while
attempting to leave the country without registering and 1,344
were found in the interior of the country. The total number of
arrested refugees is 28.9 per cent higher, compared to August
(1,261).

A total of 6,560 third-country nationals were detained in
Bulgaria during the period January - September 2021. Some 919 of
 them were caught at the state border while they were trying to
enter the country, 779 while attempting to leave without
registering and 4,862 were found in the interior of the country.
 These numbers are 3.4 times higher, compared to the same period
 a year ago.

Most of the migrants are from Afghanistan and Syria, the
Interior Ministry said.

As of September 30, the refugee centres in Bulgaria host 1,940
people and are nearly 38 per cent full. Another 306 people are
in lodgings. A total of 5,961 migrants have been accommodated in
 refugee centres since the beginning of 2021, 4,219 of which
have left voluntarily and 928 have been granted asylum.

As of September 30, 999 people were accommodated in homes of the
 Migration Directorate, which have capacity of 1,300. RY/KK



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