Authorities in the Czech Republic have extended border controls with Slovakia for another 30 days on Thursday in an attempt to deal with migration from Slovakia.
The Interior Ministry has indicated that the measure is thus extended until the end of January, although it has clarified that there will be less police presence in the border area.
The controls in question were scheduled to expire on Sunday, Christmas Day. However, the authorities have now decided to extend them. Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said that the number of migrants apprehended after crossing the border illegally has also decreased.
«Although the situation at the border is not ideal, there has been a marked improvement,» he pointed out. Since the end of September, more than 2.5 million people have crossed the area, a 250-kilometer border. A total of 9,301 migrants have been arrested since then, according to government data.
In addition, 134 people have been detained over the past three months for alleged human smuggling, while some 2,300 migrants have had to return to Slovak territory after their applications were denied.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
