Estonia Decides to Step Up Border Controls With Latvia

Reform.news Editorial Team · 6 October 2026, 08:55

https://reform.news/en/estonia-decides-to-step-up-border-controls-with-latvia/

The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board has decided to step up controls on the border with Latvia. The reason is secondary migration.

According to ERR, 41 people who had arrived from Latvia were detained last week.

“We are talking about migration pressure that may have been initiated by Belarus, but when it comes to the countries of origin of these immigrants, we most often detain Somali citizens, followed by other East African countries such as Ethiopia, as well as more distant countries: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In fact, there are many countries of origin,” said Igor Bogdanov, head of the patrol service of the southeastern department of the PPA.

In recent months, Latvia has remained the main destination for migration pressure along the border between Belarus and EU countries, partly because the Latvian border remains less equipped compared with the Polish and Lithuanian borders.

Lithuania also regularly detains migrants who attempt to continue westward from Latvia.

Recently, Poland extended border controls on its border with Lithuania for another six months.