In total, after the state of emergency was announced on August 10 in the Latvia-Belarus border area allowing the border guard to promptly deny entry and return migrants to the country of origin, 476 people have been denied entry into Latvia. The peak was reached on August 12 when 101 people were turned back overnight.
366 persons have been detained for illegally crossing the border this year, 295 of which came in the timeframe from August 6 to 10, and 25 of which came after the announcement of the state of emergency.
Despite the number of border offenders decreasing, State Border Guard chief Guntis Pujāts told Latvian Television August 23 that the tension and risks remain high.
