Since the start of this year Slovenia has sent back to Croatia over 1,500 illegal migrants detained on its territory, and police say that in the coming months they expect great pressure from migrants concentrated along the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, Slovenian media said on Friday, citing Interior Ministry data.

In the year to April 26, Slovenian police detained 2,585 illegal migrants, up from 1,185 discovered at the same time in 2018, the leading daily Delo said, adding that the largest influx of migrants this year was recorded in March and April.

At the same time, 1,503 migrants were sent back to Croatia under a readmission agreement, while on the other hand, Italy returned 78 migrants to Slovenia and Austria turned back 16.

An estimated 4,000-5,000 migrants are waiting along the Balkan route, mostly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for passage to western and northern Europe, and the issue remains in the foreground, especially ahead of this month’s European Parliament elections, according to Slovenian media.

Unlike the migrant crisis of 2015/2016, when the migrants were predominantly Syrians, now the migrants are mostly Pakistanis, Algerians and Moroccans, Delo said.