Pressure from illegal migrants coming from Belarus—and indirectly from Russia—on Latvia’s border may continue for several more years, General Guntis Pujāts, Chief of the State Border Guard, said in an interview on LTV’s “Rīta panorama” on Tuesday.
Pujāts noted that April and May have been particularly intense months for the Border Guard, with around 70 illegal border crossers detected daily—amounting to 1 500 to 2 000 individuals per month.
The current challenges exceed those of a year ago, he stated, adding that he does not expect a reduction in the number of illegal migrants either in the summer or in the coming years.
Under such conditions, it is clear that the government will extend the special security regime along the Belarusian border, Pujāts said, also suggesting that even stricter measures may be considered.
In April of this year, four serious incidents occurred in which illegal migrants refused to comply with border guard orders. As a result, officers were forced to use firearms to detain them. Although the migrants have not used weapons themselves so far, they have physically resisted arrest
Pujāts also noted that a significant number of migrants still manage to enter Latvia, and temporary detention centers are currently full, having reached their capacity limits
This year, 19 individuals involved in the smuggling of illegal migrants have been detained, with few of them being Latvian nationals.
Meanwhile, more Uzbek citizens have been arriving legally in Latvia than in previous years. However, forged travel documents are frequently detected, and many are later found to be violating residence regulations.