(AP) German police said on Monday that they registered more than 5,000 unauthorized border crossings last month by people who had arrived from Belarus, marking a significant uptick in the number of arrivals through a new and politically sensitive migration route.
Federal police said in a statement that October saw 5,285 unauthorized entries “with a connection to Belarus.” That contrasts sharply with the 1,903 arrivals recorded in September, bringing the total so far this year to 7,832.
Police said last weekend alone, 597 people who entered illegally from Belarus were found on the German side of the border with Poland. Of those, 391 were Iraqi citizens while the remainder were from Syria, Iran and Afghanistan. Most had Belarusian visas or entry stamps in their passports.
