ZAGREB, April 5, 2018 - The number of migrants illegally crossing the Slovenian border in the first quarter of 2018 was higher on the year, but the rise was not as dramatic as during the 2015-16 refugee crisis, although the structure of migrants is changing, with more and more applying for asylum in Slovenia after the police find them, Slovenian police said on Thursday.
In the first three months of 2018, Slovenian police considered 612 cases of illegal border crossings, twice as many as at the same time last year, and most of those recorded on the border with Croatia were in the Koper and Novo Mesto areas.
Most of the migrants came from Algeria, Pakistan and Morocco, while most of those in early 2017 were from Turkey, Kosovo and Pakistan.
Those found in the area covered by the Novo Mesto police department illegally crossed from Croatia across the Kupa river. This year, in cooperation with Croatian authorities, Slovenian police returned 105 foreigners to Croatia, who had illegally entered Slovenia. At the same last year, 132 illegal migrants were returned.
