SOFIA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria repatriated 1,410 illegal immigrants to their countries of origin in 2016, up 77 percent from 2015, the country's interior ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Among them, 413 foreigners were forcibly returned, 236 left the country voluntarily at their expense, and 639 left within programs for assisted voluntary return, the statement said.
In terms of nationality, the largest number of those sent back were Iraqi (494), followed by Afghans (417), the statement said.
As many as 17,719 migrants were accommodated in specialized institutions in Bulgaria in 2016, a decrease of 34 percent compared to 2015, the ministry added.
