Migrant arrivals down 62% says interior ministry

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 16 - Irregular migrant arrivals on Italy's coasts have dropped by 62.3% in the first seven months of 2024, with a boom in landings recorded instead in Spain and Greece, according to the Italian interior ministry.
    Migration flows fell drastically in the Central Mediterranean (-64%) and along the Balkan route (-75%), said figures regarding the ministry's activity published on Thursday.
    Arrivals increased along the Western and Eastern Mediterranean routes, specifically affecting Spain (+153%) and Greece (+57%). According to data published by the interior ministry, repatriations during the first seven months of the year increased from the 2,572 carried out in 2023 to 3,079 in 2024 - up 19.7% .
    Departures from Tunisia appeared in line with the number recorded last year while those from Libya seemed to have grown, the ministry said.
    A specific section of the ministry's dossier was dedicated to border crossings into Italy from Slovenia following the reinstatement of border checks in October 21, 2023, extended until December 18 this year.
    Out of the 503,718 people controlled, 211 were arrested, according to the figures.
    They included 108 people suspected of aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
    A total of 3,846 migrants were apprehended while trying to cross the border irregularly, it said. (ANSA).