site.btaClose to 47,000 Illegal Border Crossings from Turkiye Prevented in June-July

The number of prevented attempts to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border was 46,940 for the period June 1 - July 31 alone, the Interior Ministry reported here on Tuesday.

This represents an increase of 73% in the number of illegal entries prevented compared to the same period in 2022, when there were 27,083 such attempts prevented. The results demonstrate the exceptionally good work of the front-line border police officers. The number of migrants apprehended by the Bulgarian border authorities within the border area has doubled to 400, compared to 200 in the same two-month period of the previous year.

As a result of the targeted operations carried out across the country, the number of pre-trial proceedings initiated has increased from 194 in June and July of 2022 to 343 in the same two months of 2023, which translates into an increase of nearly 77%.

The number of third-country nationals detained in the interior of the country is also on the rise. From June 1 until July 31, they were 3,452 cases, according to data from the regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior and the Migration Directorate. This is 3.7 times (or 270%) more than in the same period of 2022 (928 people).

The data for the period from the beginning of 2023 until August 7 show that the number of thwarted attempts to illegally enter Bulgaria from Turkiye is 108,954, compared to 67,846 for the same period last year, which is an increase of 59%.

A decrease was recorded in the number of third-country nationals apprehended while attempting to cross the Bulgarian-Serbian and Bulgarian-Romanian borders, which is a result of improved activity to prevent migrants from crossing into Western Europe.

1,033 third-country nationals were apprehended on their way out of the country to Serbia, a decrease of 57% compared to the same period last year, when there were 2,423 such cases.

The number of people detained for attempting to cross illegally into Romania was 157, a decrease of 30% compared to 2022, when there were 226 such attempts, data from the Border Police show.