(ANSA) - BELGRADE, JAN 24 - According to the Slovenian news agency STA, the Slovenian police stopped more than 32,000 illegal immigrants at the border with Croatia in 2022. This was a 214% increase from the year before. Recent statistics show that most of the increase is due to a large number of people from Afghanistan, Burundi, India, Pakistan, and Russia taking the so-called Balkan Route. According to STA, Afghanistan was the largest single source country, with 6,010 migrants recorded, nearly doubling the number recorded a year ago. More than 5,000 came from Burundi, where nationals took advantage of a now-closed loophole that allowed them to travel visa-free to Serbia, and then to the EU. Indian nationals can also travel to Western Balkan countries without a visa, and they made up the third largest group of migrants. Last year, nearly 3,900 people entered Slovenia, up from only 73 in 2021, the agency noted.

(ANSA).