The hotel offers accommodation for up to 400 vulnerable migrants, the community is still negotiating



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Wait for help to update the infrastructure

The first meeting between the ministry and representatives of the Viešvilė community took place on Friday, during which the ministry’s proposal to house approximately 400 vulnerable groups of migrants in former orphanages was discussed.

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Skirmantas Mockevičius

Photo by Sigismund Gedvila / 15min / Skirmantas Mockevičius

According to the mayor of the Jurbarkas district municipality, Skirmantas Mockevičius, the meeting to be held on Monday should be attended by significantly more community members, the Minister of Social Security and Labor, Monika Navickienė, promises to join remote form.

According to him, the main questions for the community are how long would the migrants live in the village, would there be men among them, how would safety be guaranteed?

Also, what can the community expect in return for the benevolence of accepting foreigners?

According to S. Mockevičius, the community understands that the additional accommodation of several hundred people would experience inconveniences, so they would like the ministry to commit to organizing part of the shared infrastructure.

“I liked that they weren’t selfish requests. Well, let’s say the boiler room, which is already wearing down and above all heats the building of the old children’s house, ”said the mayor.

Enjoy open communication

According to S. Mockevičius, initially the ministry said that some 300 migrants could stay in Viešvilė, but later this number increased to 400.

“But it is better to speak openly than to act differently. Our desire is to speak openly and agree, and we will see how we do it, “he said.

According to the mayor, there are many different opinions in the community of more than 500 people, part of the population does not agree with such plans of the ministry, part – agrees.

However, it is essential that the local population can express their views freely, and only then will it be possible to say whether or not the community supports such a proposal.

“Inevitably you will have to do a formal and quick survey in the body of elders. That everyone really has the right to express their opinion, without influencing in any way, without putting up a sheet with insistent calls to sign,” said S. Mockevičius.

The mayor of Jurbarkas municipality was glad that the ministry has not yet made a decision and is listening to people’s opinions in the first place. Without dialogue, it will almost certainly lead to community dissatisfaction and resistance to adaptation.

“It is a normal speech that did not exist before,” he said.

“Really involve the public in decision making. We will decide, we will accept, we will not decide, we will not accept ”, emphasized the mayor.

The centennial building remains inactive

The old orphanage in Viešvilė, built at the beginning of the last century, has not been used for three years.

Erik Ovcharenko / 15min photo / Public care home for children

Erik Ovcharenko / 15min photo / Public care home for children

More than a century ago, in the neo-Gothic red brick building, stood the Viešvilė Court, where residences for the elderly were established in the middle of the century.

The last residents moved out of the old part of the building in 2018. The new part of the building was paradoxically used for less than the old one and the occupants moved in much earlier.

According to S. Mockevičius, the building was later handed over to the Property Bank, so if it decided to house the migrants in it, the Government would have to invest a lot to prepare it for life.

“All the logistics would be the work of the government, institutions designated by the ministry. We need to reconcile the environment to meet that challenge, realizing that most of those challenges will also fall on the community: integration, children’s education, education, treatment, social services, and everything else. That mutual division of labor, “said the mayor of Jurbarkas.

The ministry is considering more places

The advisor to the Minister of Social Security and Labor, Tomas Kavaliauskas, affirms that the representatives of the Ministry are also talking with more municipalities and communities about the possible accommodation of migrants.

“The number of immigrants in Lithuania is large and they are still housed in temporary accommodation and tents. Our goal is to accommodate them in better conditions, so we look for premises throughout Lithuania and in parallel we communicate with local people “, 15 minutes he said.

According to him, the most important task at this time is to serve the most vulnerable groups of migrants: children, women, families, the disabled and unaccompanied minors.

T. Kavaliauskas stated that, at present, the ministry has not yet decided when migrants can be accommodated in Viešvilė or other places; It depends on many factors.

Accommodation plan for migrants

Ten days ago, Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė and Deputy Minister of Social Security and Labor Justina Jakštienė presented the latest accommodation plans for migrants crossing the border illegally from Belarus.

According to them, it is planned to vacate all municipal border and local barriers within a month, and the migrants in them will be distributed in various centers.

VIDEO: Accommodation plans for migrants: several centers will operate, the most vulnerable groups will be accommodated separately


As stated at the time, SADM was obliged to provide accommodation for the most vulnerable groups. About half of all migrants, around 2,000. The group of people, according to the original plan, had to stay at two locations: a refugee reception center in Rukla and a shelter in the Naujininkai district of Vilnius.

The remaining foreigners must be cared for by the MEGA Alien Registration Center in Medininkai under the State Border Guard Service (SBGS).

Up to 800 migrants who do not belong to vulnerable groups will be accommodated in Medininkai, another thousand could be received by the Pabradė Foreigners Registration Center.

The last group, single men in need of more security, would be temporarily housed in the former Kybartai prison. Once the infrastructure is in order, they will be returned to the Public Security Service landfill in Rūdninkai.

This year, more than 4,000 people illegally entered Lithuania through the border with Belarus. migrants.

Vilnius accuses the Minsk regime of organizing migration flows and calls it hybrid aggression. As a result, a state of emergency has been declared in the country.



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