Most of expelled foreigners come to Romania to work, but try to leave the country illegally (officials)

Most of the foreigners who are expelled from Romania come to the country on employment visas, but then they are caught when they try to illegally cross the border into the Schengen Area to reach countries in western Europe, according to figures with the Accommodation Centre for Foreigners Taken in Public Custody in Arad, where 400 migrants arrived in the first semester of 2024 alone.

According to data presented on Thursday at a news conference by the management of the centre operating under the authority of the General Immigration Inspectorate, most of the foreigners who were taken over in the first six months were from Bangladesh (89), Nepal (75), Sri Lanka (63) and Pakistan (55). The rest of the migrants taken into custody in Arad were from Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, India or Morocco.

“Checks carried out by the immigration police revealed that most of the foreigners entered Romania legally, for the purpose of employment, later being detected in an attempt to illegally cross the state border. Consequently, their right of residence was revoked, and decisions to return them under escort were issued on behalf of the foreigners. Also, pending the completion of the formalities of removal from Romania, they were placed in the public custody centre,” according to head of the Arad centre Filimon Pitea.

Currently, 33 foreigners are in custody in Arad, with the occupancy rate of the centre being only 21% of the capacity of 160 places. Pitea explained that this low occupancy rate is “circumstantial”, because usually in summertime the building is crowded. For example, if several migrants are discovered at the border one day, in a lorry or by foot, the occupancy rate can double.