A group of 27 people caught living in Malta illegally will be “removed from the country” in the shortest time possible, the government has said.

The arrests were carried out on Tuesday following a raid in Marsa.

Police sources said the raid was part of ongoing routine inspections that are carried out around the island.

The authorities do their utmost to carry out the removal in the shortest time possible- Ministry spokesperson

A spokesperson for the home affairs ministry said inspections were carried out on a “regular and routine basis”.

Asked whether the arrested migrants were still being detained, the spokesperson said: “Foreign nationals who are not authorised to remain in Malta may be detained until they are removed from the country. In such instances, the authorities do their utmost to carry out the removal in the shortest time possible.”

The police have not provided any details on where the migrants were staying when they were arrested.

In May, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said in parliament that a record number of migrant repatriations in the past months had contributed to people smugglers changing their tactics, with fewer migrants heading to Malta.

People who were genuinely deserving of international protection were being given a good, professional service, the minister said in his speech, but the country was also increasingly addressing the situation of those who were not entitled to international protection and did not have a right to live here.

Camilleri had also pledged the government would continue to tackle the migration challenge fairly but firmly.