It is estimated that there may be about 6,000 to 7,000 migrants on the territory of Belarus at the European Union’s (EU) external borders, but these numbers vary and vary depending on the sources, Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite said on Wednesday.
“The figures are very different, the Polish services provide some, ours provide others. There could be about six to seven thousand, but at the moment no one can say that, because new [migrācijas] directions, new flights are being organized, visa procedures are being simplified, and this shows that [Baltkrievijas prezidenta Aleksandra] Lukashenko’s regime is not compromising, “she told reporters after the government meeting.
According to the Minister, in response to the changing situation at the border, it was decided on Wednesday to strengthen the protection of the most insecure sections of the border.
Attempts are being made by Belarus to direct illegal migrants to Lithuania in the less guarded, forested and most inaccessible sections of the border, therefore it is planned to redeploy border guards and soldiers to these places.
Such a decision was made when the Minister of the Interior met with the Minister of Defense Arvīds Anušauskas, representatives of the State Border Guard Service, the State Security Department and the Armed Forces.
Additional technical means for border surveillance will also be provided during these border sections and intelligence to identify threats will be strengthened. A contingency plan has also been drawn up in case the number of migrants sent to Lithuania suddenly increases sharply.
The Lithuanian government will also consider a package of amendments on Wednesday regarding the fate of illegal migrants after the expiration of the statutory six-month detention period, which will allow them to restrict their liberty without a court decision in certain cases.
If, within six months of the migrant’s detention, his asylum application had not been processed, the alien would not have to comply with movement restrictions, unless he poses a security risk, but if a risk of absconding and absconding is identified or known to threaten Lithuanian security, he could be detained for a longer period, the Minister of the Interior explained.
Bilotaite also said that the Lithuanian Migration Department has already processed about a third of all asylum applications from illegal migrants, about 300 people have been sent back to their countries of origin.
She added that asylum applications are being processed with increased force – 56 new employees have been hired in the Migration Department and another 25 people have been delegated to this work by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As reported, with the sharp increase in the flow of illegal migrants across the Belarusian border, Lithuania declared a state of emergency in the summer. Since August 3, according to the order of the Minister of the Interior Agne Bilotaite, Lithuanian border guards have forced migrants to return.
From the beginning of the year until now, more than 4,200 illegal migrants have been detained in Lithuania, but since the order came into force, more than four thousand foreigners have been banned from crossing the border in unauthorized places.
Lithuanian officials point out that the Belarussian regime is deliberately facilitating the flow of migrants across the border, as Lithuania supports the democratic opposition in Belarus and has given asylum to its leader Svyatlan Cihanouska.
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