site.btaInterior Ministry Records 67.9% Decrease in Migrants Attempting to Illegally Enter Country in May Y/Y

In May, 1,779 third-country nationals attempted to illegally enter the country's borders, which is a 67.9% decrease compared to May 2024 (5,534 people), said Ministry of Interior on Thursday.

Since the beginning of the year, 5,924 have attempted to enter, or 63.2% less than in the same period in 2024 (16,083 people). A total of 629 have been detained by the Bulgarian authorities, 3 by neighbouring border authorities, and 5,292 have returned independently to the interior of neighbouring countries.

A total of 629 people were detained at the entrance to the state border, 264 at the exit without registration and 260 for illegal stay in the country, of whom the majority were citizens of Syria, Afghanistan and Morocco.

Ministry of Interior added that the capacity for accommodating migrants in the homes of the Migration Directorate and the centers of the State Agency for Refugees is about 20% full.