Budget debate: Number of migrants in detention drops to 79

Just 79 migrants remain in detention, while 2,224 are living in Open Centres and 1,400 are in the community, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said during the Budget debate this evening.

He said that progress in this sector had been achieved mostly due to an agreement reached between Italy and Libya as well as the government’s work to safeguard Malta’s interests and further strengthen the excellent relations with those two countries.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the criminal organisations engaged in this immoral human trafficking had been stopped and a number of persons had been arraigned before Libyan tribunals.

He said that more remained to be done for the migrants currently in Malta to be assisted to set their future.

The government was making use of all relocation programmes available. The United States had taken 600 refugees from Malta and another 400 had gone to various European countries, to which Malta was grateful. It was hoped that such programmes would continue.

Malta would also continue the difficult work of repatriating those migrants who were ineligible for protection. Important contacts had been established this year with the countries of origin of the migrants and these had borne important results.

The minister also underscored assistance given by the EU to help Malta tackle illegal immigration.