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Police Department and Estonian border guards have stepped up border controls on the border with Latvia and in ports to prevent illegal border crossings if migratory pressure to the republic increases, the department's press service said.
Estonian Interior Minister Kristjan Jaani noted that he had had an interview with a Latvian colleague, with whom he was in constant contact against the background of events in Lithuania.
“As they have illegally crossed the Belarusian-Latvian border in the last 24 hours, border guards have detained 38 people, we have strengthened controls in Estonia's border areas,” Jaani said, adding that there was no migration pressure.
The Minister said that the Police and Border Guard Council focused mainly on borders, but that patrols would carry out on-site inspections throughout Estonia. According to him, detailed inspections will be carried out in ports. Police sent additional patrols to the Estonian-Latvian border area. Jaani warned that law enforcement officers would check buses, cars and trucks more often.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 4,000 illegal migrants of the year have been detained on the Lithuanian-Belarus border since the beginning of the year, which is 50 times more than in the whole of 2020.