Illegal Belarus-EU border crossings hit record high on March 12
Border fence between Belarus and Poland
March 14, Pozirk. The European Union (EU) did not allow at least 145 migrants to enter illegally from Belarus on March 12 after thwarting 54 attempts a day earlier.
The Polish Border Guard said 133 foreigners tried to illegally cross from Belarus into Poland on March 12, and 40 on March 11.
The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service did not register any border violations for 11 consecutive days but said their Latvian colleagues thwarted 12 attempts.
The Latvian Cabinet of Ministers has tightened security at the border with Belarus until September 12.
Police and soldiers will be helping border guards in the Ludza, Krāslava and Augšdaugava regions, Daugavpils and the Rēzekne region’s Kaunata Parish.
Since the start of 2024, Lithuania and Latvia recorded the highest number of illegal crossings on their shared border with Belarus on February 15 and March 10, respectively, with 10 attempts stopped by Lithuania and 44, by Latvia.
Since the start of 2024, the EU thwarted at least 1,491 illegal border crossings on its shared border with Belarus, with 1,142 attempts via Poland, 316 via Latvia and 33 via Lithuania. The EU has recorded 937 attempts in March alone.
Pozirk’s analysis of daily stats indicated fluctuated tension at the Belarusian-EU border throughout 2023 with a significant decrease by the end of the year and in January 2024. Starting from February, illegal border crossings have been on the rise again.
The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar Łukašenka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU. It escalated in November 2021, with hundreds of migrants storming the Polish border.
The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.
In August 2023, the interior ministers of Poland and the Baltic States warned that they would close the border with Belarus in case of a surge in illegal migration.
Latvia tightens security at border with Belarus
March 13, Pozirk. The Latvian Cabinet of Ministers has tightened security at the border with Belarus until September 12, BB.LV reported. Police and soldiers will be helping border guards in the Ludza, Krāslava and Augšdaugava regions, Daugavpils and the Rēzekne …