On Wednesday at the Ikla border checkpoint, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Department (RRD) handed over eight foreigners who illegally entered Estonia to the Latvian border guard.
The men, originally from Ethiopia, were in Estonia without legal grounds, having arrived in the country from Belarus transiting through Latvia. It is not reported why they were not caught in Latvia but were detained in Estonia.
According to the immigrants, the goal of the Ethiopians was to travel through Estonia to other Schengen countries. None of them applied for international protection. Of the eight Ethiopians handed over to Latvia, one claimed to be a minor, but this was not confirmed.
According to Indrek Aro, head of the Põhja Prefecture Border Guard Bureau, the Estonian police are in constant contact with their Latvian and Lithuanian colleagues.
"In our assessment, migration pressure will not ease in the near future," Aro said.
Since July, the Estonian police have detained a total of 99 foreigners who entered the republic through Latvia.
Since 1995, there has been an agreement between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania regulating the readmission of persons illegally residing in the country. On its basis, foreigners who illegally entered Estonia from its territory can be returned to Latvia.
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