The Italian border authorities have managed to stop from entering the country irregularly 2,200 foreigners, and have arrested a total of 118 people, around half of whom under the suspicions of aiding illegal migration, since border controls with Slovenia were introduced in October 21, 2023.
The data have been revealed by the Italian Minister of Interior Affairs, Matteo Piantedosi, upon a meeting with his counterparts from Slovenia and Croatia, Ministers Bostjan Poklukar and Davor Bozinovic, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
Since last October 21, the date of the restoration of border controls, 2,200 irregular foreigners have been traced and, of these, more than 1,330 have been rejected. The Italian Police Force also arrested 118 people, of which 65 for aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
According to a press statement of the Ministry of Interior, out of the 1,330 irregular migrants that were sent back across the border, the majority of them were Turkish, Moroccan, Syrian, Kosovar, Northern Macedonian, or Afghan nationals. The Italian Police Forces have also checked approximately 270,000 people and 150,000 vehicles
Oggi a Brdo, in Slovenia, ho incontrato i miei omologhi di Slovenia e Croazia Bostjan Poklukar e Davor Bozinovic.
Dal 21 ottobre scorso, data del ripristino dei controlli alle frontiere, sono stati rintracciati 2.200 stranieri irregolari e, di questi, più di 1.330 sono stati… pic.twitter.com/BehKi6J8GJ
— Matteo Piantedosi (@Piantedosim) March 21, 2024
Croatian Interior Minister Bozinovic, at the same time, has pointed out that the measures have also had their effect in the levels of migrant arrivals in Croatia, which have dropped by 17 per cent since October.
Border Controls Between Slovenia & Italy to End in June, Slovenian MFA Claims
The Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon has revealed that internal border controls between Italy, Slovenia and Croatia could be replaced with joint police patrols before the beginning of summer break.
According to her, if the plans result successful, other EU Member States could start doing the same.
Italy, Slovenia and Croatia are working together to abolish internal border controls within the Schengen area before the summer break. The goal is to start joint police patrols. If the project works well, they could be an alternative to border control.
Border controls between Slovenia and Italy were first reintroduced by the authorities of the latter October 21, 2023, due to the Israel-Hamas. The same are set to expire in June.
65% Decrease in Immigrant Arrivals to Italy Since in 2 First Months of 2024
At the end of February 2024, Minister Piantedosi has revealed that Italy had marked a decrease of 65 per cent in immigrant arrivals in the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2023, thus marking the fifth consecutive month of decreasing numbers.
The drop in arrivals comes after the number of irregular arrivals to Italy increased by 50 per cent in 2023, compared to 2021 figures. More than 150,000 individuals reached Italy throughout the year, through irregular means. In the meantime, 103,846 irregular arrivals had been reported in 2022.
