North Macedonia detains 142 migrants near border

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police in North Macedonia say they have detained a group of 142 migrants near the southern border with Greece. A police statement said the migrants were mostly from Syria and Pakistan, and had entered from Greece. They were taken to a shelter Thursday pending deportation to Greece. Police say the number of people illegally entering North Macedonia has doubled so far this year, compared to the same period in 2021. More than 11,000 people — mostly from Pakistan, Syria and India — have been stopped this year. They usually pay criminal gangs to be smuggled through the Balkans to Europe’s prosperous heartland.