A total of 160 illegal immigrants have been detained by Latvian authorities on the Latvian-Belarusian border in the last three days, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. They said they would shoot us if we didnt cross.. Those people are in detention for illegal border crossing. Presence of individuals not related to state border crossing. The UNHCR was sending a mission to Latvia to discuss the situation and ensure that its response was in line with its international obligations and European law," the spokesperson said. Baltic News Network uses cookies to customize content for readers and analyse information flow. This is a hybrid campaign by Lukashenko against the EU and the integrity of its eastern border.. Latvia has detained 283 individuals for illegally crossing from Belarus since 6 August, authorities said, bringing the total for the year to 343. Foreigners arriving in the Republic of Belarus through the state border with the Russian Federation should apply in person to the citizenship and migration unit of the internal affairs body at their place of residence in Belarus for registration. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia say there's been a surge in the number of people trying. Also on August 18, authorities of Latvia, which is also an EU and NATO member, said its border guards prevented 46 illegal migrants from attempting to cross the border from Belarus in the past 24 . for the prepaid contracts; refill your account, make a deposit for the on-board device usage, etc. Migrants trapped on the border between Poland and Belarus have made hundreds of attempts to breach the frontier, but were repelled by 15,000 Polish soldiers deployed to stop them, according to . It you have any issues of concern regarding the implementation of the specified administrative procedure, contact our technical support service of the National Center for Electronic Services by phone 311-30-00, ext. Also global migration tendencies - we were previously regarded as a crossroads for Vietnamese trying to enter Europe, but this route is nolonger attractive," said Pujts. On the territory between the state border and correspondent checkpoint is prohibited: For violations of these requirements foreign citizens are subjected to administrative liability (warning with deportation or without deportation, or a fine of up to fifty base values in accordance with Article 24.21 Code of Administrative Offences dated January 6, 2021 91- (hereinafter - the Code). Lithuania has published video shot by Frontex, the EU border agency, showing vehicles likely used by the Belarusian border guard escorting migrants to the border with the EU. When crossing the border of the Republic of Belarus regardless of crossing method, it is obligatory to pass: border and customs control and, if necessary, automobile, veterinary, sanitary-quarantine and phytosanitary types of control. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2023 RFE/RL, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lithuania claims neighboring Belarus is using migrants as a "weapon.". A stand-off ensued for hours as the migrants refused to retreat, during which one of them shouted in English: "Please help! Also on August 18, authorities of Latvia, which is also an EU and NATO member, said its border guards prevented 46 illegal migrants from attempting to cross the border from Belarus in the past 24 hours. Which language would you like to use this site in? Officials will also no longer be obliged to accept applications for asylum. Latvian guards told Reuters that recent migrant arrivals had told them they had spent a few nights in a hotel in Minsk before being driven towards the Latvian frontier, and then told to walk in a certain direction. The Belarusian officers then move several meters closer, crossing the border. Some families searched for people who were last known to be in Latvia but could not be reached by phone. Landsbergis said Lithuania, a member of NATO and the European Union, had also informed officials of the two organizations about the incident. First of all, one group of potential illegal immigrants were not let on Latvias territory. As winter approaches and movements at the border have resumed, the state of emergency continues to allow Latvian authorities to unlawfully return people to Belarus. the driver of the vehicle must have an insurance certificate valid on the territory of the Republic of Belarus and confirming civil liability insurance in a member state of the "Green card" system; Participation in the road traffic in the Republic of Belarus of a vehicle, registered abroad without the effective agreement of compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of vehicles, results in administrative liability in the amount of 20 base values in accordance with Paragraph 5 of article 18.19 of the Code. Type. EU pressure last week persuaded Iraq, which in early August added direct daily routes from Sulaymaniyah and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan as well as Basra, to pause flights to Belarus, sharply reducing the number of migrants arriving in Lithuania. Latvia and Lithuania on Tuesday announced measures to counter an increase in illegal migration acrossboth countries' border with Belarus. State Border Committee ofthe Republic of Belarus. Cities & Towns, Famous Places, Roadside America, Transportation, Travel, Michigan Ontario, International Border Crossing. MPs in the Baltic state on Tuesday debated whether to build a 4-metre-high metal fence topped with razor wire along about 315 miles (508km) of its 420-mile border with Belarus, as well as allowing the army to patrol the border. While no direct flights currently operate from Kabul or other Afghan cities, observers now suspect Belarus will try to bring in more refugees from Afghanistan. Latvian authorities have violently pushed back refugees and migrants at the countrys borders with Belarus, subjecting many to grave human rights violations, including secret detention and even torture, according to new findings published in a report by Amnesty International. The Polish border guard said the detained migrants were mostly from Iraq and Afghanistan, adding that 871 illegal immigrants had been detained on the Belarus border so far this year, compared to 122 in the whole of last year. Poland has accused Belarus of pushing the migrants towards the border, describing it as hostile activity. The European Union member country says the president of Belarus, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, is encouraging migrants to cross their shared border as revenge for E.U. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who have entered the territory of the Republic of Belarus on the vehicle not registered in the Customs Union, must apply to the nearest border points for timely payment. Visas are issued to foreigners by diplomatic missions or consular offices of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, internal affairs bodies, border guard bodies of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter referred to as border guard bodies), unless otherwise specified by legislative acts of the Republic of Belarus. The . There is also a column for the information about the visa, but if, for example, a foreigner arrives in Belarus under the visa-free mode, there is no need to fill it out. The application should contain the surname and name of a foreigner in Latin or Cyrillic as indicated in the passport (one option is sufficient), passport information, insurance, date of entry into the country, address of temporal stay. ROBEZNIEKI, Latvia, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Latvian border guards turned back dozens of migrants into Belarus overnight under a new state of emergency designed to stem a flow of arrivals the European Union says is orchestrated by Minsk. 5 Signs at the Pelkola border crossing into Russia. Slovenia, which holds the EUs rotating presidency, is due to host a meeting of the blocs justice and home affairs ministers on 18 August to discuss unlawful migration from Belarus and the Lithuanian border situation. The Latvian State Border Guard said in a statement on September 8 that its officers turned away 27 migrants from crossing the border with Belarus the previous day, bringing the total number of attempted crossings during the crisis to 1,005. For violation of rules of staying in the Republic of Belarus (stay in Belarus without a Belarusian visa, migration card, passport or other document for travel abroad, violation of the registration procedure) foreign citizens are subjected to administrative responsibility (a warning or a fine in the amount of 50 base values or deportation) in accordance with the Article 24.35 of the Code of Administrative Offences of January 6, 2021 91-3. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. An estimated 16,000 migrants have been stopped by Poland's border patrol for illegally crossing the country's 250-mile-long border with Belarus since August. Those people are in detention for illegal border crossing. There was a "border crisis" in the 1840s, when the Irish flooded into the country in huge numbers; they made up half of all immigrants. Most migrants havecome from Iraq. Dozens of refugees and migrants have been arbitrarily held in tents at the border in unsanitary conditions, A small percentage of people were allowed into Latvia, the vast majority of whom were placed in detention centres and offered limited or no access to asylum processes, legal assistance or independent oversight. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. In recent years, people from Iraq, Pakistan, Indiaand elsewherehave been trying to cross the Latvian border illegally, but Vietnamese have featured particularly prominently. But the border guard chiefemphasizes that there is still room for improvement. Lithuania has announced it will build a barrier on the border with Belarus and deploy troops to prevent migrants from illegally crossing into its territory. On April 13, officials of the State Border . Of those, 5,000 took place in October. If the number of illegal immigrants continues going up, the government may declare a state of emergency in Augdaugava and Krslava. Share with friendsThe construction of barbed-wired fence along Finland's long border with Russia - primarily meant to curb illegal migration - has broken ground near the southeastern town of Imatra less than two weeks after the Nordic country joined NATO as the 31st member of the military alliance. If necessary, you can contact the staff of the UVV GKU Foreign Ministry of Belarus by phone: 279 20 58, 279 28 72. The term of prohibiting to enter the Republic of Belarus is from six months to five years. transit visa of the Republic of Belarus (except when a transit visa is not required) ; health insurance contract (except for persons who are not subjected to compulsory insurance); document allowing to return to the state of citizenship or residence (if passport is lost on the territory of Belarus); the driver of a motor vehicle should have an insurance certificate valid on the territory of Belarus and confirming liability insurance in the member-state of. But the country must now process 4,110 irregular migrants, from Iraq, Congo-Brazzaville, Cameroon, Syria, Iran and Russia, 50 times the 2020 total. On Thursday, April 13, 44 persons were stopped from illegally crossing the border between Latvia and Belarus, while a total - 1555 persons have been stopped this year. 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