The European Border and Coast Guard Agency FRONTEX found that 17,300 people entered European countries illegally in July 2021, which is 33 percent more than in the same period in 2020, and about 2,700 more than in June this year. year.
The number of illegal border crossings from January to June 2021 increased by 59 percent and exceeded 82 thousand cases compared to the same period last year.
Moreover, more than 3,000 Belarusians entered Lithuania illegally in July, 180 in Poland and 200 in Latvia. However, the Central Mediterranean route had the highest number of illegal border crossings: 7,600 people tried to do so. The total number this year is 30,800, which is 96 percent more than last year, with most migrants coming from Tunisia, Bangladesh and Egypt.
In July, about 1,380 sightings were recorded at Spain’s maritime border, down 32 percent from July 2020. Since January 2021, 7,040 people have tried to enter the country illegally, which is close to last year’s figures of 6,500 people.
Among migrants, Algerians make up 67 percent of all arrivals from this route, followed by Moroccans, reflecting the current political and economic situation in the country, which is forcing more and more people to try to enter Europe.
In July, almost 400 illegal crossings were registered on the West African route, which is in line with last year’s figures. Overall, the number of illegal border crossings has increased by 130 percent this year, to 7,350 people, with most migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa.
In July, 3,600 cases were detected on the Western Balkans route, which is 67 percent more than in July 2020. As a result, the total number of illegal border crossings this year has increased by 90 percent to 22,600. Most migrants have been registered from Syria, Afghanistan and Morocco.
However, in July, the number of illegal border crossings in Greece decreased slightly: 1,065 cases were registered. In the first seven months of this year, the total figure fell by 33 percent and reached 9,000 people compared to 13,370 in 2020. The largest number of attempts was made by migrants from Syria and Turkey.
The agency is stepping up border controls between Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia in connection with the increase in the number of detected cases of illegal border crossings, which were provoked by the political situation in Belarus.