The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has not seen an increase in illegal migration through Estonia after Poland reintroduced checks at its border to stop migrants entering the country from Belarus.
Poland introduced border checks with Lithuania and Germany on July 7 in response to a growing influx of migrants entering the European Union via Belarus and Latvia.
Migrants from the Middle East and Africa have been illegally crossing the border since spring 2021, and the authorities say the “hybrid attack” is backed by the Belarusian government and implemented by the security services.
The majority of migrants crossing the border have no interest in staying in Latvia or Lithuania and quickly move on to Germany or elsewhere in the EU. Estonia is used as a transit country to the Nordics.
The PPA increased its checks at the southern and northern borders at the start of July.
“We have not witnessed a rise in illegal migration through Estonia since Poland reinstated border control with Lithuania,” PPA Press Officer Kaarel Kallas told ERR News on Tuesday.
“Since then our patrols have caught six people in Estonia, but none of those six can be connected to Belarus – they include a Columbian with an expired visa, a Latvian caught stealing and a couple of Ukrainians who did not have a legal right to stay in Estonia.”
—
Follow ERR News on Facebook, Bluesky and X and never miss an update!