Police tighten checks after 41 illegal entries from Latvia

Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board has stepped up checks on people and vehicles arriving from Latvia after 41 people were caught entering the country illegally across the border last week, ERR reported.

Officers checked people entering Estonia in Valga on Monday. At Valga railway station, police inspect trains arriving from Latvia, walking through carriages and checking passengers’ documents when necessary.

Igor Bogdanov, head of the patrol unit at the board’s southeastern division, said the migration pressure may have been initiated by the Belarusian state. Among those caught, most were citizens of Somalia, followed by people from Ethiopia and other East African countries, as well as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Police are checking transport hubs on rail and road routes and have asked accommodation providers and bus companies to report anything that raises questions or suspicion.