Austrian police say they have turned away about 3,000 migrants in the past 20 days because they were lying about their nationalities.
Police spokesman Rainer Dionisio said Wednesday the development is due to more intensive controls at border points with Slovenia, from where about 3,000 migrants a day cross into Austria.
Those claiming to come from Syria, Iraq, and other flashpoints in the Middle East are questioned and translators check their accents to establish whether they are telling the truth. Those who aren’t are turned back, including Moroccans, Algerians and other nationals making false claims.
Meanwhile, Austrian police say Germany has returned about 200 migrants trying to transit from Austria over the past few weeks for lack of valid documents or because they were seeking asylum in other EU countries.