The EU Border Protection Agency triples the number of migrant detention forces at the Bulgarian border

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, the Border Protection Agency of the European Union (Frontex) may will triple the number of officers at Bulgaria’s external borders with Turkey and Serbia.

Hans Leitens, director of the agency at the Bulgarian-Turkish border crossing in Captain Andreevo, explained that from March 20, 500 to 600 officers Other Frontex will be present in Bulgaria.

According to the BTA news agency, Litens and the Minister of the Interior of Bulgaria, Kalin Stoyanov, previously visited the protection of the Bulgarian land border with Turkey. Lytens emphasized that Bulgaria has a “very important” role in protecting the EU’s external borders.

Bulgaria’s 259-kilometer-long external border with Turkey on the mainland has been completely fenced off since 2017. It is protected and monitored with thermal imaging cameras. However, migrants often cross irregularly with the help of smugglers. People from war and crisis zones often want to bypass these border crossings to avoid registering in the poorest EU country, Bulgaria. They usually travel to Central and Western Europe and are mainly trafficked to Serbia. The length of the Bulgarian-Serbian border is 341 km.

According to the BTA report, Lightens stressed that Frontex not only protects borders, but also European values. According to him, the new Frontex officers in Bulgaria will also include human rights experts.

Lightnes also promised Bulgaria its “full support” to join the Schengen area. The southeastern European country is due to join the borderless Schengen area from late March – but initially only with its air and sea borders. This Balkan country is also looking to abolish the control on its land borders.

According to the “Spiegel” weekly, Frontex and Fabrice Legeri, the former director of this agency, have been criticized many times. Among other things, it is said that the Frontex units stopped the refugee boats in the Aegean Sea and handed the refugees over to the Greek Coast Guard. Investigations by Spiegel, Lighthouse Reports and the French newspaper Le Monde showed that Legeri hid these Greek objections and thus violated the regulations of his agency.

Not long ago, news was also published that “Fabric Legeri” , the former head of the EU’s border protection agency, is running for the European elections in June for France’s right-wing nationalists. His common goal with this party is to limit immigration.

In April 2022, Legary resigned from his post after serious allegations against him and other Frontex employees. He has been leading the agency since 2015.

Lightness, Legree’s successor, promised a new beginning when he took office. He said that his border guards are not allowed to participate in the withdrawal and deportation of migrants. However, Lightness has not yet withdrawn from joint operations with the Greek Coast Guard in the Aegean Sea, despite a corresponding recommendation from Frontex’s Constitutional Rights Officer.

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