"The majority of those detained, 2,013 people, were Syrian citizens. These are mainly refugees who have used Czech territory as a transit route to Austria, Hungary or Slovakia onward to Germany and Scandinavian countries," Rendlova said.
Ukrainian nationals accounted for the second-most number of irregular migrants at 1,099 people, the majority of whom have arrived legally but overstayed their visas, she clarified. Afghans round out the top-three detainees at 576 people.
Illegal migration peaked at 1,767 in August and declined in October-November to about 500 people.
The Czech Republic tightened controls on foreign residents in June. Law enforcement officials have conducted regular interstate train and bus inspections since then, and extended controls across 20 crossings along the Austrian border.
Rendlova observed a tendency among smugglers to claim they have reached Germany, unloading the migrants in Czech woodlands and disappearing without a trace.
