In an operation designed to step up control of illegal migration routes, Slovenian police in the night between Thursday and Friday arrested 209 migrants, local media have quoted police sources as saying.

This year Slovenia has recorded slightly fewer than 8,000 illegal border crossings, and the police departments that had most work in that regard are those in Novo Mesto, Ljubljana and Koper, while the largest number of migrants are trying to reach neighbouring Italy.

The authorities say that the pressure of illegal migrations has particularly increased in the last two months, after the end of the coronavirus lockdown in the countries along the so-called Balkan route, which has led to revived activity by organisers of illegal transfers of migrants from southeast to central and western Europe.

The Slovenian police operation of stepped-up border control ensued following a decision by the Italian government which earlier this week, acting at the request of the authorities in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, bordering Slovenia, intensified police controls on its side of the border, calling in a smaller number of army members.