There are currently 140 people being held in detention centres in Malta, new data tabled in parliament on Tuesday shows.

The figures were provided by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri in a reply to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Darren Carabott, who asked for details on the people residing in the detention centres.

He also asked for their nationalities, and which detention centres they are residing in. 

The majority of the people currently being kept in detention are Bangladeshi, with a total of 61 Bangladeshi nationals currently detained in Malta. 

This is followed by Pakistani nationals, of whom there are currently 23 people in detention, and Ghanaians, with a total of 10 people from Ghana currently detained.  

Other nationalities currently being detained in Malta's detention centres include people from Gambia, Syria, Somalia and Nigeria. 

Camilleri said the data was current as of July 2, 2024.

No other information, such as age, gender or how long they have been kept in the detention centres, was provided.

Camilleri said the people are kept in three “separate” areas according to their needs and the applicable legislation.

“A substantial number of these people were arrested after they were found in our country irregularly and the authorities are making the necessary preparations for their return in the coming days,” he said.

The amount or proportion of those people currently in detention was not specified in the minister's reply. 

According to a recent report by the monitoring board for detained persons, 195 migrants were residing at the detention centre by the end of 2023. Throughout the year, 1,705 people spent time in detention.