ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Only 300 Iraqis illegally crossed into Slovenia during the first eight months of 2025, marking a dramatic decline in the number of Iraqis undertaking the dangerous journey to the European country compared to previous years, Slovenian police said on Tuesday.
“From 1st January until 31th August, we recorded 300 Iraqi citizens. In [the] year 2024, there were 701, and in [the] year 2023, there were 1,150 Iraqi citizens,” Drago Menegalija, a public relations representative of Slovenian police, told Rudaw in response to an email.
He added they had registered a total of 16,238 illegal border crossings into Slovenia during the eight months. “The majority (86,6 %) came from neighbouring Croatia. In 2024, there were a total of 46.213 illegal border crossings and in 2023, there were a total of 60.597.”
Thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region migrate out of the country, with some of them losing their lives on dangerous and illegal smuggling routes.
Hopes of escaping endless crises, including political instability, corruption, and a lack of employment are among the factors driving the migration.
Menegalija also said no Iraqis were deported to their country in 2024.
"In 2024, 144 third country nationals were returned to third countries, because they failed to meet the conditions for entry and residence in the Republic of Slovenia, while in 2025, until the 31th of August 88 such persons were returned. None of these people were returned to Iraq."
Niyaz Mustafa contributed to this article.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment