On Wednesday, the 28th of May, 62 people attempted to illegally cross the Latvian-Belarusian border, bringing the total number of such attempts this year to 4 039, according to the State Border Guard, which informed the LETA news agency.
In total, this year, 12 people have been allowed to cross the border on humanitarian grounds.
With the arrival of warmer weather, the flow of illegal immigration from Belarus has resumed. At the same time, there has been an increase in activity by individuals supporting illegal border crossings.
In December last year, the government extended the enhanced border protection regime at the Belarusian border until the 30th of June 2025. The regime was introduced due to the increased flow of illegal migrants facilitated by Belarus. Initially, the government had set the regime to last until the end of 2024.
The enhanced control regime applies to Ludza and the parishes of Ludza Municipality, Krāslava and its surrounding parishes, Augšdaugava Municipality, Daugavpils, and Kaunata Parish in Rēzekne Municipality.
Additionally, since the 19th of March this year, the Latvian border checkpoints with Russia and Belarus – “Pāternieki,” “Grebņeva,” and “Terehova” – may only be crossed by vehicles. The government made this decision at the request of the State Border Guard, citing the current geopolitical situation caused by Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine as the reason for partially closing these checkpoints.
Last year, 5 388 people were prevented from illegally crossing the Latvian-Belarusian border, while 26 were admitted into the country on humanitarian grounds.