site.btaBulgarian Border Police Prevent Some 193,000 Attempts of Third-Country Nationals to Enter Bulgaria Illegally

Over 193,000 attempts of illegal entry into the territory of Bulgaria have been prevented by Border Police and other police structures since the beginning of 2023 until the end of November, the Interior Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

By the end of November 2023, Bulgarian border police had prevented about 176,000 attempts of third-country nationals to illegally enter Bulgaria at the Turkish-Bulgarian border, an increase of 13% compared to the same period in 2022. The Bulgarian-Turkish border remains the busiest since the beginning of the year, where migration pressure accounts for over 99% of the total migration pressure at the state border of Bulgaria.

About 500 attempts by third-country nationals to cross the Bulgarian-Greek border were detected during the period, which is 86% less compared to the same period of 2022, when about 3,700 attempts of violation were detected.

Since the beginning of 2023, Interior Ministry officers have detained 17,186 irregular migrants entering, leaving and within the country. Citizens of Syria, Afghanistan and Morocco form the main share of detainees by nationality.

The press release reads that Bulgarian border police has prevented some 193,000 illegal migrants entering Europe.