Riga Deputy Mayor Edvards Ratnieks points out that this year, since the beginning of the year, Riga Municipal Police have already detained and handed over to the State Border Guard 20 people, although 23 people were detained last year and 24 people in 2023. This year, the most of detained people in Riga without residence permits were from Sudan and Ethiopia.
“These are significant signals that illegal immigration in Riga is increasing and it is necessary to respond to it. The people caught by Riga Municipal Police are most likely only a part of the amount of illegal immigration staying in Riga, so specific measures will also follow to reduce it. It should be noted that last year, Riga Municipal Police administratively punished more than 6,000 foreigners for various violations,” points out Edvards Ratnieks.
This year, Riga Municipal Police have detained and handed over to the State Border Guard without valid residence permits
6 persons from Sudan, 4 from Ethiopia, 2 from Ghana
and one each from Algeria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, India and Russia.
The Deputy Mayor of Riga points out that the country of origin of the detainees has changed this year – if previously the largest proportion was Uzbeks, then this year African countries dominate.
One of Ratnieks’ priorities is the eradication of illegal immigration and the overall reduction of the proportion of migrants in Riga in the name of future security, in order to avoid the development scenario of many European countries, when security risks in the city have significantly increased due to immigrants.
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