Lithuania Tightens Surveillance on Border with Latvia to Curb Illegal Migration

Lithuania's Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday that it is strengthening surveillance along the border with Latvia to limit illegal secondary migration. According to the ministry, there will be increased use of monitoring technologies and enhanced patrolling in border zones, transport hubs, passenger transport routes, as well as airports and seaports. The measures are based on available intelligence and risk assessments.

The ministry emphasized that this does not mean reinstating border controls; the actions will comply with European Union law, ensuring free movement within the Schengen Area. The operations will involve the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, police, the Public Security Service, and the Customs Department. Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičs will coordinate the efforts.

According to ministry data, last year 1,288 illegal migrants were intercepted while traveling from or through Latvia – nearly 2.5 times more than in 2024, when 540 cases were recorded. In the first six months of this year, the number of detained migrants on the so-called Latvia route has already reached the total for all of 2025. Since the onset of the illegal migration crisis in 2021, more than 25,000 attempts to illegally cross Lithuania's border from Belarus have been registered. The ministry noted that the situation is currently stable, but there is a growing migration flow from Latvia.