EU border agency says irregular arrivals up 10% in first half of 2023

Migrants walk towards a Red Cross tent after disembarking from a Spanish coast guard vessel, in the port of Arguineguin, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Irregular immigration into the European Union rose a tenth in the first half of 2023 compared to a year ago, the bloc's border agency said on Monday, with Mediterranean routes accounting for most of the arrivals.

Frontex reported 132,370 attempts to get into the EU outside of regular border crossings from the start of the year until the end of June, saying that was 10% more than the same period in 2022.