Police Searching for Undocumented Migrants in Sofia, Other Bulgarian Cities

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Bulgarian border police backed by riot police are searching for undocumented migrants across the country, in particular in the capital of Sofia.

"This is a part of our approach to deal with the pressure of migration. Not only guarding the border, but also checking the registration of identified illegal immigrants in the country [in order] to be able to master the entire flow [of immigrants]," Bulgarian Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova explained to Bulgarian National Television.

There was reportedly heightened police presence around the Maria Luisa boulevard and Lions' Bridge over the Vladaya River in the center of Sofia, areas popular among migrants. Police officers were also looking for migrants in hotels and hostels among other places of accommodation, as well as vehicles.

Bulgaria has been fighting illegal migration from the very beginning of the refugee crisis. It is constructing a barbed wire fence on its borders with Turkey and Greece. Bulgaria will begin returning undocumented migrants to Turkey under EU-Ankara deal starting June 1.