Estonia detains 388 migrants as border pressure may rise again

Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board has detained 388 foreign nationals who entered the country without legal grounds since July. Pressure has eased in recent days, but could increase again next spring, the public broadcaster ERR reports.

Recent detentions have taken place in Tallinn. As of last Tuesday, 258 people were being held at the detention centre there. Estonia has transferred 148 people to Latvia who entered the European Union via the Belarus-Latvia border. Fifteen people are suspected of organising illegal migration.

On October 8, Police and Border Guard Board Director General Egert Belitšev warned that pressure could rise significantly in the following weeks, as people still in Belarus might try to leave before freezing temperatures arrived. But Indrek Aru, head of the border guard bureau in the North Prefecture, said that forecast had not materialised. Authorities caught 14 migrants in the past week, and pressure on Latvia had also eased. Aru said more people could still arrive as the weather turns colder.

Recent detentions have been made in Tallinn because migrants travel concealed, Aru said. They may be hidden in vans, in enclosed spaces without windows or under a carpet in a car. Police carry out spot checks at the Estonian-Latvian border and within the country, but cannot inspect every vehicle.

People suspected of smuggling migrants include citizens of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. Aru said those involved are often people of migrant background or foreign origin who came to the region several years ago, obtained residence permits and later tried to help relatives or compatriots. People involved in organising migration within the Schengen area generally have legal status.

The detention centres are more crowded than usual, and tensions and conflicts have emerged among detainees, mostly over everyday matters such as the television remote or queues for food. Tensions between different national groups have also begun to escalate, Aru said, although there have been no very serious incidents or major attacks on officials.

Some migrants are being held temporarily at a detention facility in Pärnu, particularly those due to be deported soon. The board has also found alternative detention facilities in other larger Estonian cities and is creating additional places at the detention centre. It has contingency plans to accommodate more people if needed.

Deportation can take time because authorities must gather evidence about people’s identities, where they entered the Schengen area and other relevant circumstances. If someone applies for international protection in Estonia, the board must carry out separate procedures and assess whether they need protection.

Tags: Estonia, migration, border security