Warsaw, 12 January 2011 - On the basis of operational data gathered during the implementation of Operation RABIT, Frontex confirms further decreases in the number of irregular migrants detected at the Greek-Turkish land border.
Throughout the year 2010, October saw the maximum number of migrants apprehended (7607), with an average of 245 detections per day. Since the beginning of Operation RABIT 2010, a decreasing trend in the number of detections was observed compared to October: in November (4631) and December (3423) the average daily detection rate fell to 154 (- 37%) and 110 (-57%) respectively.
In the first week of 2011 (data until January 8, 2011), a total of 686 persons were detected crossing the green border illegally. The average number of migrants apprehended per day decreased further to approximately 98.
The approximately 200 guest officers and interpreters sent to Greece by Frontex are under the command and control of the Greek authorities and are mainly involved in patrolling the border and collecting information about the people-smuggling networks facilitating the arrival of the migrants.
Since June 2, 2010, over 38,000 undocumented persons have been detected crossing the Greek-Turkish land border. The largest group (44%) comes from Afghanistan while the other most numerous nationalities are Algerian (16%), Pakistani (8, 5%), Somali (6%) and Iraqi nationals (4%).
Last year 45 people lost their lives trying to cross the Evros River, or at sea in the area of Alexandroupolis: 26 within the operational area of Orestiada; four at the banks of the Evros and 15 at sea in the vicinity of Alexandroupolis. In the first week of January alone four bodies were found in the area - all young males who had died of hypothermia.
“These people were put on rubber boats or told to swim or cross the freezing cold river by the facilitators,” said Frontex Deputy Executive Director Gil Arias Fernandez. “In fact, an important target of our operation are the criminal facilitation networks who are behind these arrivals.”
Since the start of Operation RABIT 2010, some 22 facilitators have been arrested, from — Turkey (9), Afghanistan (4) Bulgaria (4) Palestine (3), Syria (1) and Georgia (1).
Frontex will continue to provide operational support to Greece after the end of the RABIT deployment foreseen for March 2011, through Operation Poseidon Land.