PETROZAVODSK, November 23. /TASS/. More than 215 illegal immigrants have been detained in the Russian Karelia region bordering Finland over the past week, a representative of law enforcement agencies told TASS.

"More than 215 illegal immigrants, who were moving toward the Russian-Finnish border or wished to cross it, were detained in Karelia over the past week. The courts have already ruled to expel half of them from the country," the person said.

Earlier, officials in Karelia said that more than 150 foreign nationals had been detained in the region from November 15 to 21 as they were moving toward the Russian-Finnish border. Their Russian visas were expired. Most of the immigrants were detained after November 18, when it was decided to close four crossings.

Earlier this week, the head of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov, said immigrants no longer formed crowds near the border with Finland. That prompted officials to shut down a warming post that had been previously established near one of the crossings.

Finland closed four crossings at the border with Russia overnight into November 18 due to an influx of people from third countries. On November 22 Finland decided to shutter three of the remaining four crossings on the border with Russia, but officials said all of the crossings could be closed unless the flow of illegal immigrants came to an end.