Officials: Rise in migrants entering Czechia from Slovakia

The number of migrants entering Czechia across the Slovak border has greatly increased this year, according to official figures released on Tuesday. Most of the migrants are Syrians who have passed through Turkey and are bound for Germany or Austria.

The Ministry of the Interior plans to increase the number of places in refugee facilities and to bring in tougher punishments for people-smugglers, Minister Vít Rakušan told reporters.

Some 3,651 refugees had been registered using Czechia as a transit state by August 21. The figure for the whole of 2021 was 1,330, while in previous years it was in the low hundreds.