Saeima moves to spread illegal-migration detention cases across all district courts

The Saeima's Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee decided on Wednesday to advance Justice Ministry amendments to the Immigration Law designed to relieve the heavy caseload burdening Latgale District Court in cases involving detention of foreign nationals.

Why change is needed

Under current law, only a judge from the district court covering the area where a detained foreigner is actually held may rule on extending detention beyond ten days. Because most detainees are held in the Latgale region, rising numbers of irregular migrants crossing the Latvia-Belarus border, along with migrants returned from Lithuania, have placed a disproportionate load specifically on Latgale District Court.

Court Administration figures show the number of such cases has actually declined in recent years — from 76 in 2023 to 52 in 2025 — though 39 had already been heard by 3 July 2026. The strain is compounded by staffing shortages: of 44 judge positions at Latgale District Court, only 27 are filled, leaving 17 vacant.

What the amendments propose

The bill would drop the rule tying jurisdiction to the detainee's physical location, allowing these cases to be distributed more evenly among district courts across the country. It would also remove the requirement to physically bring a detained person before a judge, since such hearings have already been conducted remotely via video conference since 2021. This would let other courts hear the cases while detainees continue to be held mainly at State Border Guard facilities in Latgale, eliminating the need to transport them elsewhere.

Applications already submitted to court before the law takes effect would still be handled under the current rules, while those filed afterward would fall under the new system. The committee has granted the bill urgent status.