On Wednesday, 25 June, the Latvian government decided to keep the special border guard system in place in Ludza, Krāslava, Augšdaugava, Rēzekne municipalities, and in the city of Daugavpils until 31 December 2025.
This decision was made to protect the country’s border and stop possible threats to national security. The reason is that many people are still trying to cross the Latvian-Belarusian border illegally.
From 1 January to 25 June this year, border guards stopped 5,534 illegal crossing attempts. However, 12 people were allowed to enter Latvia for humanitarian reasons.
The Ministry of the Interior said that in April, May, and June, the number of illegal crossing attempts by people from outside the EU increased a lot. There were 132 in January, 75 in February, 148 in March, 1,666 in April, 2,248 in May, and 1,265 in June. This shows that illegal immigration is still a big issue.
Latvia has built a fence along the border with Belarus to stop illegal crossings. But some people damage the fence and still try to cross. That’s why the government says more technical systems are needed to improve border security. These new systems should be ready by the end of 2026.
