Rae municipality faces pressure from irregular migration claims

Child protection services in the Rae municipality, located near Tallinn, are facing significant pressure due to an influx of irregular migrants. At the local detention center, approximately 60 individuals have claimed to be minors, though official verifications have confirmed this to be true in only two cases.

This surge has created a heavy administrative burden for local officials. Gerli Lehe, the mayor of Rae, noted that evaluating each individual case takes roughly one and a half days, requiring child protection specialists to respond immediately to act as legal representatives during procedures. While the Estonian Social Insurance Board has provided assistance since September to help manage the workload, local authorities are calling for greater state support beyond their current crisis plan, which is set to run until October 1.

The situation follows an increase in irregular entries into Estonia via the Latvian border, often after crossing from Belarus. Interior Minister Igor Taro has described these movements as an organized phenomenon, suggesting that groups are gathered in camps in Belarus before being directed toward Latvia and Estonia. Recent data indicates a rise in migrants from the Horn of Africa, specifically from Ethiopia and Somalia.