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Crisis in Belarus

Latvia’s Daugavpils has no places to accommodate illegal migrants, says mayor

According to Andrejs Elksnins, the number of illegal migrants detained on the Latvian-Belarusian border has already reached over 350 people

RIGA, August 11. /TASS/. Daugavpils has no places to accommodate illegal migrants penetrating into Latvia from Belarusian territory, Mayor of the republic’s second largest city Andrejs Elksnins said on Wednesday.

"The number of illegal migrants, mostly from Iraq, detained on the Latvian-Belarusian border has already reached over 350 people and Daugavpils received an inquiry from the Interior Ministry already on August 6 to report by August 12 about the possibilities and the readiness to overcome the crisis with refugees by providing them with suitable accommodation and food," the mayor wrote on his Facebook.

"However, all the circumstances suggest that the number of refugees will only grow because the policy of receiving refugees rather than protecting the state border has been implemented de facto to date. In Daugavpils, there are no places for accommodating them [illegal migrants]," he warned.

Lithuania was confronted with an influx of illegal migrants from the territory of Belarus already in the spring of this year, the politician recalled.

"Even when the Lithuanians declared a state of emergency over the mounting migration crisis, our ruling circles were saying that they were controlling the border and no problems could be expected," the mayor said, adding that Riga was now shifting the migration problem to the republic’s region of Latgale bordering on Russia and Belarus.

"Unless the capital and other regions immediately join the efforts of solving the problem, I am afraid that not only columns of refugees from Iraq but also native residents of Latgale will come to Riga," he stressed.

Elksnins said he was bewildered that the state of emergency over the migrant influx had been declared in Daugavpils along with three other regions in Latvia.

"What is even more strange is that I saw our Daugavpils in the list of cities with the state of emergency without any explanations whatsoever and invitations to a government discussion," he pointed out, noting that for its part the city was ready to provide buses so that the migrants could get to Riga.

Following Lithuania, Latvia was confronted with illegal migration from the territory of Belarus. As many as 295 people were detained in the republic in the period of August 6-10 alone and a total of 355 illegal migrants since the start of the year. The Latvian authorities have introduced enhanced border control and mobilized the potential of the border guards and the army. Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins announced plans last week to expedite the construction of infrastructure on the border with Belarus.

The Latvian government also introduced a state of emergency on the border until November 10 to expand the border guards’ powers to send migrants back to Belarus.

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