Eight more migrants who arrived illegally in Estonia handed over to Latvia
On Monday morning, Estonian police handed over eight men from Somalia to the Latvian border guard at the Ikla checkpoint.
The Somali nationals arrived in Estonia in July and August. Their route went through Belarus and Latvia, with the goal of reaching another Schengen country.
Also eight people were handed over by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) to the Latvian border guard on August 5. They were male immigrants from Ethiopia.
On Wednesday, August 12, four men and one woman were handed over at the Latvian border. On August 13, six men were returned to Latvia. The foreign nationals were from Somalia, Morocco, Ethiopia, and Eritrea and had arrived in Estonia over the past couple of months.
A total of 27 migrants who entered Estonia illegally have now been handed over to Latvia.
Nearly half of the foreign nationals who arrived illegally in Estonia in July and August have claimed to be minors. To verify these claims, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) formed an interdisciplinary commission tasked with assessing the migrants' actual ages. The commission includes experts from various fields, including a psychologist, a medical specialist, a local government representative, a child protection specialist from the Social Insurance Board, an expert from the Tallinn migration center, and a representative of the PPA. The first assessments are expected later this week.
Border guard chief Veiko Kommusaar said this is a new and labor‑intensive process for Estonia that requires strong and fast cooperation among several agencies. "This situation tests the capabilities of all parties, but at the same time helps build knowledge and practical experience. Considering developments in migration pressure across Europe, there is no reason to think these challenges will disappear soon."
Initial interviews by the commission show that a significant number of foreign nationals who presented themselves as minors are most likely adults.
Since the beginning of the year, the PPA has launched 26 criminal investigations into cases of illegally transporting foreign nationals across the border, 17 of them connected to the surge in illegal migration that began in July. There are currently 109 foreign nationals in the detention center.
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Editor: Argo Ideon
Source: PPA
