Police detain seven suspected illegal entrants in Tallinn

Police detained seven foreign nationals in Tallinn on Wednesday who are suspected of entering Estonia illegally, ERR reported. Six were detained at an Islamic centre, while another was detained on Suur-Laagri Street at about 3:30 p.m.

Raavo Järva, head of the Tallinn border point at the North Prefecture, said patrol officers acted on information they had received and detained six people at the centre who lacked the documents required to stay in Estonia.

The foreign nationals were taken to a detention centre for further proceedings. “The next step is to establish the foreigners’ origins and the circumstances of their entry into Estonia,” Järva said.

Järva said police would continue enhanced checks because of illegal immigration. Officers have been deployed in greater numbers at ports and airports, while police are also monitoring the situation elsewhere and exchanging information with colleagues in Latvia and other neighbouring countries.

Since July, police in Estonia have detained more foreign nationals who entered the country illegally than usual. Many of the cases identified in recent weeks have been linked to migration pressure originating from Belarus at the Latvian border. In several cases, the foreigners had travelled from Belarus to Latvia and then onward to Estonia.

The Police and Border Guard Board has so far handed 29 people who entered Estonia illegally over to Latvia. A total of 115 foreign nationals are currently being held in the detention centre.