Estonia sends police to Latvia to curb Belarus border migration

On a Wednesday morning, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board handed over eight undocumented migrants, including a man from Ethiopia, to Latvian border guards at the Ikla crossing. The migrants had entered Estonia illegally via Belarus and intended to move onward through the Schengen area.

Since July, Estonian authorities have detained 99 migrants linked to the Belarus‑Latvia route. To help stem the flow, Estonia deployed a third ESTPOL rotation – an 11‑person team – to the Latvia‑Belarus border on 3 August. The unit, led by Rain Järv, will remain until the end of September, providing patrols, training and joint operations with Latvian counterparts. Officials say more than 100 people attempt the crossing each day, and the cooperation follows a 1995 bilateral agreement on the return of illegal entrants.

Estonian officials, including border guard chief Indrek Arus and Southern Prefect Vaiko Vaher, stress that the joint effort aims to keep the EU’s external border secure and to reduce migration pressure on both countries.