The Balkan route, historically significant for migration, has seen changes in both the management of migrant arrivals and local attitudes towards migrants over the past 50 years. In 1973, four migrants from Mali died from cold and hunger near the Italian-Yugoslavian border, and the local community of Sant’Antonio in Bosco, mainly populated by the Slovenian minority, organized their funerals. Today, the area has experienced an increase in migrant numbers and a shift from socialist solidarity to fear and annoyance among locals. The Italian government's practice of pushbacks, returning migrants to Slovenia, has been declared illegitimate by a Rome tribunal. Recent accounts from migrants like Aqil and Juma, who faced pushbacks and hardships on their journey, reflect the ongoing challenges and changes in the region's approach to migration.