Police have confirmed that 156 of the migrants who were recently found living in the former La Paloma Hotel in Buġibba were staying in Malta illegally.

A police spokesperson confirmed with Lovin Malta that the documents of 156 people were checked by Immigration Police following the raid and that “their stay in Malta was not in conformity with legal provisions.”

The migrants hail from Afghanistan, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and Togo.

The information provided by police tallies with reports that most of the migrants had travelled to Malta from Italy on a temporary pass but ended up outstaying their three-month window. Common procedure is that these migrants end up getting deported to Italy.

Despite the raid, many migrants have returned to the former hotel, warning that they have nowhere else to sleep. 

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