Georgian PM: Georgia deported more irregular migrants in past 12 months than in previous 10 years combined

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said that his Government has significantly intensified efforts to combat irregular migration, announcing that more irregular migrants were deported over the past 12 months than during the previous 10 years combined.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted that his government has strengthened the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and adopted a more active approach to addressing irregular migration.

“Roughly 20,000 irregular migrants were estimated to be in Georgia as of last year, and the government has begun actively planning measures to address the issue”, he said.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the authorities intend to accelerate these efforts further, setting a target of deporting at least 4,000 irregular migrants during the current year.

“Over the past 12 months, we have managed to deport more irregular migrants from Georgia than were deported during the previous 10 years combined. This year's target is even more ambitious. We plan to deport at least 4,000 irregular migrants from our country this year. Ultimately, within a period of several years - around four years - this will enable us to eliminate this problem entirely, which is naturally a very important objective for Georgia”, Kobakhidze concluded.