Photo credit: ERR
More than 30 migrants have been arrested by police in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, in recent days, believed to be connected to a surge in illegal immigration at the Latvia-Belarus border.
ERR News reports that the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said the foreign nationals were travelling in different groups and were detained in various locations a cfross the capital. This included at an accommodation facility in Nomme, at the port, and in the city centre. In one case, a resident tipped off the police.
None of the detained foreign nationals had identity documents that would allow them to be identified, but according to the current information, they originate from several countries in Africa, the PPA said in a statement issued on Friday.
Preliminary information shows the migrants arrived in Estonia from Belarus after illegally crossing the Latvius border. They said they planned to travel through Finland to Western Europe.
Latvia has reported a big uptick in attempts to cross its eastern border this year, with border authoritues reporting more than 8,000 attempts. The PPA, as well as officers from Lithuania, have been sent to the border to assist their Latvian counterparts.
The authorities say the activity at the border is part of a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by the Belarusian regime, which first started in 2021 and has also affected Lithuania, Poland and Finland.
