By: Nova24tv.si
If we were to listen only to the government representatives, we would be convinced that the residents of Logatec are absolutely thrilled about the asylum centre in Logatec. However, the information we received from one of our readers from Logatec paints a different picture. Migrants arrive at the centre with police escort, and the number of migrants processed in the centre last year almost exceeds the population of Logatec.
“This is how tourist buses come to the asylum centre in Logatec every Sunday. You have to pay for 2 police officers, the driver, and a luxury Mercedes tourist bus. It is a disaster and a disgrace,” wrote a reader of the portal.
Last year, approximately 10,000 migrants were processed at the asylum centre in Logatec, excluding refugees from Ukraine. The number is extremely high, especially considering that Logatec has a population of around 10,000 people. Many of these migrants have already left the asylum centre. Slovenia is a transit country, and many migrants are headed to wealthier countries.
On the Logatec Municipality’s website in their weekly report, it is stated that there are currently 240 intention applicants for international protection (individuals who have not yet submitted applications), 47 applicants for international protection, and 67 applicants for temporary protection and persons with recognised temporary protection at the Asylum Center in Logatec.
The porosity of state borders is causing problems with our neighbours. Increased border control with Austria has become a regular practice, and the policy of open doors is straining relations even at the highest political level, as was evident from Prime Minister Golob’s recent visit to Vienna. More HERE – in Slovene.
The wave of migration actively encouraged by the policy of open doors is also causing problems on domestic soil. One of the problems is the apparent overload of local police officers. As one of our readers writes, these officers are overwhelmed in the evenings. “We do not have any police on Saturday and Sunday evenings because there are not enough of them,” she writes in an email.
Growing up near the asylum centre
It is noted that Slovenia has become the scene of a migration crisis, and even the youngest are aware of it. “We have 2 playgrounds for children, and this is what our youth in the centre of Logatec must see,” writes a reader.
Several migrants are known to struggle with psychological problems, as admitted by Lea Pignar, the head of the accommodation centre in Logatec, months ago. “Even if they come to us looking fine, sooner or later, certain stories and traumas from the past come to the surface. When they are safe, they relax. Some face problems, such as addiction,” she told Žurnal newspaper.
Almost 300,000 euros for transporting migrants
However, this issue apparently does not bother the mayor of Logatec, as described by the reader. It does not seem to bother the country’s political leadership either. Slovenian taxpayers have spent nearly 300,000 euros on transporting migrants this year alone, according to STA.
