2024-07-23 11:29:04
According to him, the last weeks of July mark a similar scenario as last year, that is, the number of violators on the Polish border has significantly decreased, but increased on the Latvian border.
Asked how to explain it, he said it was a reaction to certain geopolitical events. For example, to the fact that since July 16, persons with vehicles registered in Belarus cannot enter Latvia. “It is a reaction to certain political events, in order to take revenge on Latvia for its decisions,” emphasized Pujāts.
He revealed that in recent months, persons who do not look like migrants, but like military personnel, have been recorded in the immediate vicinity of the Latvian state border. When asked by what signs it is evaluated, Pujāts said that it is clothing, behavior. There was a case when the border guards reacted to one such person, but he turned back to Belarus.
Pujāts positively assessed the investments made in the infrastructure to limit illegal immigration, stating that this year by July significantly fewer violators were found – 3,300 people, compared to 5,000 last year.
He said the number of humanitarian admissions has decreased this year. Among them, because the profile of offenders has changed – mostly they are young men, aged between 30 and 35 years. He mentioned that people often say at the beginning that they want help from Latvia, but they do not want to be registered here. People want to get unnoticed, for example, to Germany, where they can apply for a “very generous benefit”. Migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh dominate.
The persons are often also well equipped, for example with tools to damage the fence. There are many attempts to damage the infrastructure, Pujāts admitted.
Changes in the attitude of violators have also been observed since the middle of last year. People become more aggressive, do not obey the demands of the border guards, run away. There have been cases when the border guards had to use physical force and special means to restrain violators.
2024-07-23 11:29:04