Latvian State Border Guard plans to suggest extending the state of emergency on the border shared with Belarus, as the chief of the State Border Guard Guntis Pujāts confirmed in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma on 12 January.
Pujāts said the state of emergency should be extended so that it is possible to maintain the illegal border-crossing prevention measures in force for longer. If the situation along the Latvian-Belarusian border, the state of emergency could be lifted early.
The chief of the State Border Guard reminds that Latvia has faced an increased wave of illegal migration since December 2021. 40 to 50 people on average attempt to cross into Latvia every day. The situation has improved in Lithuania and Poland, where pressure from illegal migration has reduced. Pujāts allows Belarus is looking for the weakest link in Europe’s external border to better direct its hybrid attack. However, he believes picking Latvia will have been a mistake, because not a single group of migrants has managed to enter Latvia so far.
In regards to preventing illegal migrants from entering Latvia, Pujāts said the border guard actively work with these people and explain the situation to them.
Groups that have managed to cross Latvia’s border are detained and returned to Belarus to avoid direct confrontations with Belarus – the people are taken back to some other side on the border.
Latvian State Border Guard have found out through conversations with migrants that they are brought to the Latvian-Belarusian border side from the Polish-Belarusian side and Lithuania-Belarusian side. According to Pujāts, border guards believe the movement of masses of migrants along the border is organised by Belarusian law enforcers. Because of this, migrants are found more often in border areas where it is easier to bring them over. Such areas have been identified and patrols have been increased there.
Pujāts also said ten migrants have been allowed to enter Latvia for humanitarian reasons. Two people were allowed to enter yesterday. Most of the migrants allowed to enter request permission to leave to their home country – Iraq.
Since the start of the state of emergency, about 100 people have been allowed to enter Latvia for humanitarian reasons.
In response to the increased pressure from illegal migration last summer, Latvia’s government declared a state of emergency in Ludza, Krāslava, Augšdaugava and Daugavpils. The state of emergency was planned to end on 10 November 2021 but was later extended until 10 February 2022.
It is believed the influx of migrants to the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia is orchestrated by the regime of Aleksandr Lukashenko in Belarus. Most of those migrants come from Iraq.
State of emergency on the Latvian-Belarusian border may be extended
