Officials say migration pressure rises in waves, while seasonal weather and coordinated patrols may shape how long the border response continues.
Estonia has recorded an increase in illegal migration: more than 40 people suspected of being in the country illegally were detained in a week. Estonia’s Minister of the Interior, Igor Taro, announced the figures.
This is reported by ERR.
Estonian border guards continue their rotation on the Latvian-Belarusian border as part of the ESTPOL mission. Taro did not give an end date for the mission, but said it is expected to continue until the onset of cold weather. According to him, migration pressure usually eases when temperatures drop below freezing.
In the minister’s assessment, migrants arrive in waves: first they gather in forest camps in Belarus, then cross the border in groups. Taro described these movements as an organized activity by another state.
Estonia has also brought in Finnish border guards to combat illegal migration. They worked at the airport and port, in the western and southern prefectures, patrolled highways and transport hubs, and checked scheduled buses. The minister described these checks as effective.
Migrants detained in Estonia are returned to Latvia when there are grounds to believe they arrived from there, Taro said.