32 immigrants of various nationalities who had arrived irregularly in Malta were relocated, the Government has said. “This as part of a strategy that focuses on prevention, return and relocation.”

In a statement on Saturday, it said that to date, during this year 104 irregular immigrants will have been “relocated to other countries of the European Union.”

The Government added that “those whose request for international protection is rejected are being sent back to their country of origin.”

The relocation took place as part of the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism, intended to reduce the burden of irregular immigration from border countries.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri stressed that “relocation is the most effective means by which other European countries and the European Union can reduce the burden of irregular immigration from on the border countries, especially in the case of Malta, due to its size and geographical position.”

He claimed that through its strategy of “prevention, return and relocation,” in the first half of 2023 “Malta managed to reduce arrivals and return and relocate the same amount of immigrants as arrived since the beginning of the year.”

“This is while the government continues to work fully on prevention, including in cooperation with Libya, in order to reduce the possibility of deaths and subsequently it has reached a considerable reduction of irregular arrivals, and the return of persons who do not require protection in Malta,” the Minister said.

This work is being reflected in the figures of the last two years where the number of irregular immigrants who have been returned to their country has increased while the number of arrivals has decreased substantially,” concluded Minister Camilleri.

The preparations for the relocation involved the assistance of many entities in the fields of security, as well as the International Organisation of Immigration (IOM) and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).

The relocation is co-financed by the European Union, including under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

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