Estonia sees surge in illegal migrants crossing Belarus-Latvia border

Estonia has recorded a sharp increase in illegal migrants entering the country after crossing the Belarus-Latvia border, according to Egert Belitšev, Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. As of Wednesday morning, 102 illegal migrants have been caught this year, with 63 apprehended in the last week alone. For comparison, only 39 such cases were registered throughout all of last year.

Belitšev stated that not a single day in the past week passed without detentions, with migrants caught across Estonia, mostly in or near Tallinn. Estonian authorities are closely cooperating with Finnish police and border guards to ensure rapid apprehension if migrants leave Estonia.

Interior Minister Igor Taro announced that Latvia has agreed to take back all individuals detained in Estonia who entered the EU illegally via the Belarus-Latvia border. Taro noted that the large number of detainees places a significant burden on the judiciary, interpreters, and local municipalities, as some migrants claim to be minors.

Taro accused the Belarusian regime of deliberately pushing migrants toward the EU border, citing video evidence of Belarusian border guards helping people cut fences and push others across. Seized items include long ladders, wire cutters, and angle grinders, indicating organized smuggling. He also mentioned tunnels built on the Lithuanian border, requiring engineering skills not typical of ordinary migrants.

Estonia previously sent police units to the Latvia-Belarus border and will soon deploy an additional unit from the "EstPol" mission. Taro stressed that closing internal Schengen borders is ineffective, as migrants simply change routes; focus should remain on external borders. He also acknowledged that Estonia may need to reconsider barriers even in swampy areas given current pressure.