Sofia police detain large group of illegal immigrants in latest such arrest in two days
Police in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia arrested 30 illegal immigrants, including nine children, on September 28, the second such large-scale set of arrests in two consecutive days.
An Interior Ministry statement said that a report was received that in the Druzhba 2 area of the city, a large group of men, women and children had been seen.
Police arrested the 30 foreign nationals. Investigations were continuing and the relevant institutions regarding foreign nationals had been contacted, the statement said.
On September 27, police arrested 24 men, two women and four children, all foreign nationals, who had been seen in Sofia’s North Park.
The same day, following a check at an address in Sofia’s Vrazhdebna area, 40 foreigners were arrested – 33 men, six women and a child.
It was suspected that the groups of illegal immigrants had been brought to the capital by people-traffickers, according to the Interior Ministry.
Following questioning by Interior Ministry officers, the refugees were to be accommodated in refugee centres, the ministry said.
Later on September 27, the ministry said that the illegal immigrants detained that day were from Iraq and Syria. Investigations were continuing.
Bulgaria in 2013 saw a significant increase in refugees coming to the country, mainly because of the crisis in Syria.
Steps were taken to reform refugee accommodation and dealing with illegal migration, not without criticism of Bulgaria from international and humanitarian organisations of the country’s handling of the issue.
In recent weeks, there have been new indications of a fresh increase in the number of refugees entering Bulgaria.
(Archive photo: Ben Melrose/V Photo Agency)