A police operation saw the arrest late on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday morning of 16 suspected transmigrants in the Antwerp municipality of Wommelgem.
14 of the 16 individuals arrested say that they are from Eritrea. Of the remaining two individuals, one is from Iraq and the other from Sudan.
Eleven of them say that they are minors, reports HLN.
The arrests were made as part of an operation, carried out by the Antwerp federal police in collaboration with local police zones to combat transmigration, specifically along the E34/E313 motorway, reports Nieuwsblad.
The public prosecutor's office, the Immigration Office and De Lijn inspectors were also involved in the operation.
The Antwerp federal police have carried out various other inspections and checks in the region to counter transmigration and to map out human trafficking networks, specifically in Wommelgem and at car parks along the E34/E313 motorway.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
