The Antwerp Federal police arrested 28 transmigrants at the Antwerp-Berchem station in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

In collaboration with six local police zones and the Immigration Office, the Antwerp Federal police arrested the 28 transmigrants because they did not have the correct residency documents.

Of the 28 individuals arrested, one is from Ethiopia, seven are from Sudan and 10 are from Eritrea. 11 of them said that they are minors.

The operation was conducted as part of efforts to clamp down on transmigration and human trafficking at the station and in Antwerp more generally.

“The police find that many transmigrants are moving from Brussels – mainly via public transport – to Antwerp, among other places,” a statement by the Antwerp Federal Police explained in a statement, recounted by De Morgen.

“They arrive by train at the stations Antwerp-Berchem and Antwerp-Central, and from there continue with the tram and/or bus to the parking lots along the motorways, where they try to climb in trucks to cross the channel to the United Kingdom,” the statement continued.

According to the police, the presence of transmigrants causes disturbances in and around the different stations in Antwerp. Importantly, police operations are intended to not only discourage transmigration, however, but also to map out human trafficking networks in the area.

Evie McCullough