Sofia, Oct. 28 (BTA/GNA) – In 2022, Bulgaria has been under unprecedented migrant pressure, but the Interior Ministry is doing everything in its power to contain this pressure and prevent large numbers of migrants from entering the country, caretaker Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said during his hearing in Parliament on Friday. Demerdzhiev was answering questions from MPs about the migrant pressure at the Bulgarian-Turkish border.
Demerdzhiev explained that the pressure is decreasing. He stressed that more than 200 investigations against migrant trafficking groups have been opened. The numbers of Interior Ministry officials involved in fighting illegal migration have been increased, the Minister said, adding that drones are also used to spot groups of illegal migrants that have crossed the Bulgarian border and whether they are assisted by police officers.
A total of 133,552 third-country nationals have tried to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border illegally, but failed to do so, Demerdzhiev said. In his words, the number of refugees in the centres of the Interior Ministry’s Migration Directorate was some 1,200, as of October 26. The centres are filled at 87% of their capacity, the minister added.
BTA/GNA