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Those who crossed the border illegally are reported to have indicated that they were Iraqi nationals, reports delfi.lv.
In the Skrudaliena area, on August 4, border guards detained 12 people who illegally crossed the state border. The detainees claimed to be Iraqi citizens.
On August 5, two more cases of illegal border crossing were detected.
According to locals, four illegal Iraqi immigrants were detained at the Varpene bus stop in the Skrudaliena area, and 12 other Iraqi nationals who illegally crossed the border in an inflatable boat were detained in the village of Lupandi.
In all cases, criminal proceedings were initiated for the intentional illegal crossing of the state border.
The detainees were housed in accommodation centers for detained foreigners in Daugavpils and Mucenieki.
To date, only 27 third-country nationals who have illegally crossed the border between Latvia and Belarus have been detained this year. Now the total number has reached 55 – 51 of them are Iraqi citizens, a Syrian, a Sri Lankan, an Indian and a Belarusian citizen.
Taking into account the situation in Lithuania, Latvia has previously strengthened border surveillance and four experts from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex are assisting the country.
Stronger measures are needed
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabrikas told the BNS news agency on Friday that the country must adopt a stricter border protection policy to avoid a migration crisis similar to that observed in Lithuania.
“Now we will not only monitor how migrants cross the border and then detain them, but we will also use technological means so that they cannot cross the border, as Lithuania has now perceived and is doing,” the minister said.
Mr. Pabriks pointed out that people who cross the border between Latvia and Belarus are not “classic” refugees who must receive assistance.
“These immigrants are being used for geopolitical reasons, they have the support of the Belarusian regime and are [su Rusija] as part of the Zapad 2021 military exercise, ”said the Defense Minister.
The army has been assisting Latvian border guards on the country’s eastern border for some time, but A. Pabriks noted that decisions on stricter border protection measures should be made by the Interior Ministry.
“Border guards must receive a clear signal that they are not welcome. They must not be allowed to cross the border,” said the defense minister.
Immigrants are also coming to Poland
Another 71 migrants detained in Poland at the time, crossing the border with Belarus illegally, authorities said on Friday.
According to Katarzyna Zdanowicz, spokesperson for the Podlaskie Voivodeship Border Guard Unit, the foreigners, including 15 women and 33 minors, are likely to be Afghan citizens. They were detained by officers from the Novi Dvor border post in Podlaskie Voivodeship.
62 people who crossed the border into Belarus illegally on Wednesday were arrested in similar circumstances: 50 Iraqis, 11 Iranians and one Cameroonian citizen.
These incidents raise concerns that the influx of immigrants from Belarus, which Lithuanian officials see as a hybrid attack by the authoritarian Minsk regime, may have been diverted to other neighboring EU countries, including Poland.
Since the beginning of this year, the Podlaskie Voivodeship border guards have received a total of 522 people who have illegally crossed the border into Belarus.
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